Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and father of her children, has died

Not long after Kelly Clarkson announced that she was canceling her August residency shows in Las Vegas due to her ex-husband’s health comes the news that he has passed away. He was 48.

A statement from his rep reads, “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,” the statement concludes.

Blackstock, a music manager who worked with Blake Shelton, among others, was married to Kelly from 2013 to 2022. He was Reba McEntire‘s stepson, as his father, music manager Narvel Blackstock, was married to McEntire from 1989 to 2015.

Blackstock had two children from his previous marriage to Melissa Ashworth: Seth Blackstock and Savannah Blackstock. With Kelly, he had daughter River, 10, and son Remy, 8.

When Kelly missed several episodes of her talk show earlier this year, there were unconfirmed reports that she was absent due to Brandon’s illness.

Kelly and Brandon’s split was messy, with Kelly suing and eventually winning more than $2.6 million from him in commissions, which the California Labor Commission ruled that he had received from unlawfully handling certain business deals for her. They also fought in court over their Montana ranch.

As part of their split, Kelly was ordered to pay Brandon over $100,000 per month in spousal support and more than $45,000 a month in child support until January 2024.