Kelly Clarkson Once Said She’d Given Up on Love Before Meeting Brandon Blackstock originally appeared on Parade.
Kelly Clarkson once revealed she had nearly given up on love before meeting Brandon Blackstock. Though their marriage ultimately ended in divorce, the entertainer now faces a profound loss following Blackstock’s death from cancer on August 7, 2025.
On Wednesday, Aug. 6, Clarkson revealed Blackstock had been ill via a social media post. She subsequently postponed her Las Vegas residency to spend time with their two children, River, 11, and Remington, 9.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson)
One day later, the family shared news that Blackstock had died. In a statement, a rep for the family wrote, “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. 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.”
Clarkson and Blackstock first met in 2006. The first American Idol winner recounted the moment she laid eyes on the music manager.
Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
“My guitar player’s wife Ashley was my date for that night and we had just both been in crap relationships,” Clarkson confessed. “Sometimes it sucks dating because it’s so many wrong ones until you get the right one. And we were like, ‘Okay, what we’ve been doing wrong here’ — because it was a country music event and we’re both southern girls — we were like, ‘We’ve been dating skinny jeans and we need Wranglers.'”
“Literally, I’m not joking, he walked past us at that time,” Clarkson continued. “And he walked by, I was like, ready to take it all off. I just felt something.”
At the time they met, Blackstock was married to Melissa Ashworth. It wasn’t until after the couple divorced that he and the entertainer reconnected at the Super Bowl in 2012, where she was performing the national anthem and Blake Shelton, whom Blackstock managed, was singing “America the Beautiful.”
By the end of 2012, they were engaged. Clarkson and Blackstock married in October 2013, and one month later, announced they were expecting their first child.
Daughter River Rose was born in June 2014. The couple welcomed a son, Remington Alexander, in April 2016.
After seven years wed, Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020. The paperwork was finalized in March 2022.
The entertainer discussed co-parenting with Blackstock in March 2025, telling Kylie Kelce, “There’s a lot that I keep in because co-parenting is fun.”
Kelly Clarkson has not announced when her shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas will resume. She is taking this time to be with her family as they mourn their loss.
Kelly Clarkson Once Said She’d Given Up on Love Before Meeting Brandon Blackstock first appeared on Parade on Aug 8, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
