On Thursday, August 7, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and father of her children died at 48 of cancer.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep for the family told People. “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.”
Before the announcement, fans were worried about the “Since U Been Gone” singer since she postponed her first two Las Vegas residency performances last month. Kelly planned to kick off her Studio Sessions residency at Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace on July 4, but postponed at the last minute.
On August 6, the singer shared the news that she’s postponing the remainder of her August studio sessions due to something serious going on in her personal life. These surprising show cancellations come just a few months after Kelly was absent from several episodes of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Not to mention, sources say she was fighting “hidden battles.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 6, Clarkson revealed Blackstock had been ill, and she postponed her Las Vegas residency to spend time with their children, River, 11, and Remington, 9.
In a candid IG Story announcement about the August cancellations, Kelly revealed what’s been going on behind the scenes. “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 apologized and added that she appreciates her fans’ “grace, kindness and understanding.”
Following the cancellation of those July Vegas residency shows, a source told Page Six that Kelly was going through a hard time. “Kelly’s personal life is so insanely complicated,” they claimed. “Kelly is fighting some serious hidden battles that very few people are privy to…it’s a source of emotional and therefore physical distress for her.” It seems likely they were talking about Brandon’s illness.
In March, Kelly missed 10 episodes of The Kelly Clarkson Show, and Andy Cohen also filled in for her during an episode the following month. Both times she was absent, the singer said she took time off for personal reasons and didn’t offer more details.
After those absences, Kelly got candid about “ups and downs” on the 1,000th episode of her NBC talk show. “For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together,” she said. “I’ve lost, alone, a lot.” She emphasized that there have been “a lot of ups and downs personally.”
Wishing Kelly and her family all the best during this difficult time.
