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Brandon Blackstock was well known as Kelly Clarkson's husband and the father of their two kids. But Reba McEntire has a different perspective on the talent manager, who died in August at 48 years old. In a new interview with People, McEntire reflected on memories of Blackstock from long before his marriage to Clarkson. She was married to his father, Narvel Blackstock, for 26 years and got to know Brandon when he was just a little boy. “My relationship with my stepson, Brandon Blackstock, was precious,” McEntire recalls. “I absolutely loved that child. He came into my life, I guess, when he was four years old. Then when Narvel and I got married, he was 13 or 14.” Reba McEntire's Life With Brandon Blackstock as a Child McEntire said Blackstock has been “sorely missed” since his death, remembering his “mischievousness and his love of life.” “He brought joy to everybody that met him, and we’ll never forget him,” she added. That mischievousness and humor were constants throughout his life. Even as a child, McEntire recalled, he loved pranking people at Starstruck Entertainment, the talent management company owned by Narvel Blackstock. “I’d be sitting at my desk and I’d see [Starstruck Entertainment employee] Penny Chubb walk by, going to the ladies’ room — and then here comes Brandon. He’d hide behind the pillar,” she remembered. How Did Brandon Blackstock Die? Blackstock died on Aug. 7 after a private battle with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer. He was 48 years old. He was the father of four children. He shared 11-year-old River Rose and 9-year-old Remington Alexander with Clarkson, and he shared 23-year-old Savannah and 18-year-old Seth with his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth. Read More: Brandon Blackstock's Cause of Death Revealed After he died, McEntire shared a heartfelt tribute to her stepson on social media, writing, "His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God's presence." How is the Rest of the Family Doing After Brandon Blackstock's Death? Last month, McEntire spoke about Blackstock on the 2025 Emmy Awards red carpet, saying, "We miss him every minute." She also shared that Blackstock’s children are “doing well” and “bonding together and hanging out with each other” as they process the loss. “We know God’s got this,” McEntire added. Kelly Clarkson, who was married to Blackstock from 2013 to 2022, has not yet issued a public statement about his death. Just hours before the news was announced, Clarkson revealed that Blackstock was ill as she postponed all of her August dates in her Las Vegas residency. "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 stated. Will Kelly Clarkson Talk About Blackstock's Death on Her Talk Show? A new season of The Kelly Clarkson Show began this fall, and the theme of this season is "light." While she may not directly speak about her ex-husband's death on the couch, the season will draw from the goings-on in Clarkson's personal life in more abstract ways, like in the music chosen for the episodes. In an interview with USA Today, music director Jason Halbert said, "You're going to see some songs reflect some things that maybe she wouldn't talk about verbally in a sitting-on-the-couch interview." Clarkson also discussed grief during her The Kelly Clarkson Show interview with Lionel Richie. The conversation used the lens of his new memoir, which includes difficult topics such as the death of his parents. Read More: Kelly Clarkson Discusses Grief in New Lionel Ritchie Interview She didn't directly speak about Blackstock in that interview, but Clarkson did bring some of her own perspective on grief to the conversation, acknowledging, "It hits you in waves."
