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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Dead at 48
Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, died on Aug. 7 at the age of 48. The cause was melanoma, a type of skin cancer, the Silver Bow County Coroner Dan Hollis told Rolling Stone on Aug. 11. 'It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,' Blackstock's family said in a statement shortly after his death. 'He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.' More from Rolling Stone Kelly Clarkson Tears Up Performing 'Piece by Piece,' 'Tightrope' Before Brandon Blackstock's Death Drummergeddon 2025: Why We're Witnessing a Global Percussion Apocalypse Kelly Clarkson Says Ex-Husband Is Ill, Postpones Las Vegas Shows They added: 'We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time.' The Blackstock family said they would not be commenting further about Blackstock's death. Coroner Hollis confirmed to Rolling Stone that Blackstock had a natural death after fighting melanoma. 'He passed away peacefully at his home in Butte, Montana, on August 7 under hospice care surrounded by his family,' he said. The news of Blackstock's death comes just a day after Clarkson postponed several of her Las Vegas residency shows to be 'fully present' with her family and kids while Blackstock dealt with his illness, which had not been made public. 'While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children's father has been ill and at this moment,' she wrote on Instagram Wednesday. 'I need to be fully present for them.' Blackstock and Clarkson started dating in 2012. They married in 2013 and had two children: a daughter, River, born in 2014, and a son, Remington, born in 2016. Blackstock was also the former stepson of Reba McEntire, who was married to his father Narvel Blackstock at the time. When Clarkson and Brandon wed, McEntire said: 'To have my buddy as my daughter-in-law, I mean, who could ask for more?' Clarkson penned her song 'Piece by Piece' about her relationship with Blackstock. 'But piece by piece, he collected me up / Off the ground, where you abandoned things,' she sings on the 2015 title track. 'Piece by piece, he filled the holes that you burned in me.' Clarkson eventually filed for divorce in 2020, and it was finalized in 2022, after two years of court contention. Blackstock had served as Clarkson's manager after their marriage (he had previously managed Blake Shelton), an arrangement that caused legal turmoil following the end of their romantic relationship. Blackstock also had two children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child, Savannah, had a son named Lake. This story was updated on Aug. 11 at 2:40 p.m. ET to include Blackstock's exact cause of death. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kelly Clarkson Tears Up Performing ‘Piece by Piece,' ‘Tightrope' Before Brandon Blackstock's Death
Last week, Kelly Clarkson postponed the remainder of her Las Vegas residency dates for August, revealing that her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, was ill. Just one day later, the music manager, with whom she shares two children, died at the age of 48 following a three-year battle with cancer. While Clarkson kept this family matter private, the cracks in her armor began to show during particularly emotional performances in the weeks leading up to Blackstock's death. In late July, Clarkson powered through the ballad 'Piece by Piece,' which was written about Blackstock and released in 2015. 'I've never rewritten a song more, and I probably never will,' she said on stage. 'I wrote this song with a lot of hope and projection for happiness and better than what was happening. And then, well, life set in, and I had to change the lyrics. Everybody was like, 'Wait, why aren't you singing this song?' And I was like, 'Have you heard the lyrics?' That's fun. Embarrassing.' More from Rolling Stone Drummergeddon 2025: Why We're Witnessing a Global Percussion Apocalypse Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Dead at 48 Kelly Clarkson Says Ex-Husband Is Ill, Postpones Las Vegas Shows Clarkson and Blackstock finalized their divorce in 2022, nine years after they tied the knot. Clarkson first filed in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences. It was around that time that the singer began updating the lyrics to 'Piece by Piece,' on which she originally sang 'Piece by piece, he restored my faith/That a man can be kind and a father could stay.' On the updated version, she sang, 'And you know/I just walk away when they ask for money/I take care of me, cause I love me/Piece by piece, I restored my faith/That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks.' 'I ended up changing the lyrics. We did it one time, I did a residency here, and then I was like, 'You know what, that sounded a little angry,'' Clarkson continued. 'So I just wanted to explain how it feels now. I'm 43. I've done some therapy, and I changed the lyrics now, and I think it's perfect. I promise. I'm not gonna change it again.' In the latest version she premiered at the residency, dubbed the 'Healed Version 2.0,' Clarkson sings, 'And you know/I'm learning every day how to love me/I let go of the shame that you taught me/Piece by piece, I restored my faith/That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks.' 'I feel like we grow up, right? And this is the more grown-up version of it,' Clarkson told the audience about the final change, with tears spilling over. 'I'm really trying to pull it together. Screw it, let's just sing it. This is 'Piece by Piece.'' During a show in August, she paused her performance of 'Tightrope' from the Piece by Piece album to similarly recenter herself. 'It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,' Blackstock's family shared in a statement last week. 'He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
