Editor’s note: Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died after a three-year battle with cancer, his family said in a statement on Aug. 7.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” the statement read. “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.”
Kelly Clarkson will be postponing her remaining “Studio Sessions” shows in Las Vegas. The singer announced the change of plans via social media on Aug. 6, in which she revealed her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has been ill for the past year.
Because he’s been unwell, Clarkson said she’ll need the time off for the remainder of August to look after her children.
“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she wrote on Instagram.
Clarkson and Blackstock divorced in March 2022, two years after announcing their separation and after seven years of marriage. The couple shares two children: daughter River Rose, who was born in 2014, and son Remington Alexander, born in 2016. Clarkson lives with her children in New York City, where she also hosts her daytime talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
The singer seemingly addressed her ex-husband through her music a number of times, both on her 2023 songs “Mine” and “Me” and her talk show when she revised the lyrics to Gayle’s song “abcdefu” during one of the host’s 2023 performances.
“Forget you and your dad / And the fact you got half and my broken heart / Turned that (expletive) into art,” she sang at the time, which seemed to be a reference to her divorce settlement in which she had to issue a one-time payment of over $1 million to her ex-husband, along with monthly spousal support (until Jan. 31, 2024) and child support payments that amounted to over $160K.
In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in June 2023, the Grammy winner said the split, in the end, was “freeing.”
“It’s incredibly sad, and it’s a dark place — fetal position on the floor crying — and there’s so much loss with that, and I never experienced grief like that,” she said.
“We got to let each other go. This is not working. This is not going to pan out, and it’s not working for either of us.”
Clarkson made headlines earlier this year for her absences from her talk show. From late February through March, she stepped away occasionally. During that time, guest hosts including Simu Liu, Roy Wood Jr. and even TODAY’s Willie Geist filled in
