When Kelly Clarkson performed in Las Vegas on July 26, 2025, the audience could tell something was very different. Before cancelling her remaining shows, the 43-year-old singer was raw with emotions, tearing up multiple times as she performed her deeply personal ballad, Piece by Piece. Her pain was too real and too evident to miss as she sang about love, loss, and the kind of devotion she once believed in. 

Just days later, the reason behind those tears became tragically clear when her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away at 48 after a painful 3-year battle with melanoma. Brandon died on August 7, 2025, hours after Kelly cancelled the rest of her August ‘Studio Sessions’ shows, telling fans he was gravely ill. According to sources, the singer had been grappling for months with the inevitable loss of a man she once loved deeply, while also facing the daunting reality of raising their two children as a single mother.

What made Brandon’s death even more heartbreaking was the complicated history he and Kelly shared. Despite an ugly, highly publicised divorce and occasional public jabs, Clarkson chose to stand by the man she once deeply loved during his final months. His obituary made no mention of her, only their children and Brittney Marie Jones, her former assistant and Brandon’s partner for his last three years. Their tangled past makes the story of his final days even more compelling.

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s ugly split after nine years of marriage

Clarkson and Blackstock were long-time partners before they tied the knot in 2013 in an intimate wedding. After nine months of marriage, they separated in 2020 with explosive court battles over finances, custody of their kids, and Kelly’s allegations that Brandon had overstepped as her manager. 

The divorce was finalised in 2022, with Clarkson being ordered to pay Brandon a one-time amount of over USD 1.3 million in addition to monthly spousal support of USD 115,000 and child support worth USD 45,601 monthly. However, she later won a USD 2.6 million judgement when the court ruled in her favour over financial disputes. 

The ugly divorce battle left Kelly and Brandon’s relationship strained, and they reportedly saw co-parenting as ‘tense and exhausting’. Despite their contentious divorce, everything changed when Blacktock’s cancer diagnosis was confirmed. The Tightrope singer reportedly put aside the past, making sure that Brandon wasn’t alone in his final days, no matter what happened between them. 

Why Kelly Clarkson couldn’t hold back tears at her pre-cancellation Vegas performance

During her final pre-cancellation Vegas performance, Clarkson sang two songs that have long been tied to her relationship with Blackstock: Piece by Piece and Tightrope. Both of these songs hold deep meanings in the singer’s life, and knowing that the man who once picked her up and made her feel blessed was dying, the emotional weight was too heavy.

Piece by Piece, released in 2015, was inspired by the contrast between her father abandoning the family when she was a child and what she then saw as Blackstock’s loving commitment. Lyrics like “He never walks away; he never asks for money” were once a testament to the faith he had restored in her. Singing it now, knowing her children’s father was dying, made the performance excruciating.

Tightrope, another song she performed that night, was written during the breakdown of their marriage. It reflects the emotional balancing act of holding on while everything feels like it’s falling apart. Performing it so close to his death, with their children watching from the audience, was an emotional test she could barely pass.

Brandon Blackstock was in a ‘romantic’ relationship with Kelly Clarkson’s ex-assistant, Brittney Marie Jones

Fans were surprised to see the name of Brittney Marie Jones in Brandon Blackstock’s obituary as his ‘loving partner’, while there was no mention of Kelly Clarkson anywhere. The reason behind it was that by the time of his illness, Blackson had been living in Montana with Jones, who had worked as Clarkson’s production assistant between 2016 and 2018 before becoming Blackstock’s executive assistant. After divorcing the singer, Brandon found love again in Brittney, their relationship evolving into a personal and professional partnership. Together, they launched Headwaters Livestock Auction and Valley View Rodeo.

An obituary posted by Butte Funeral Home after Brandon’s death called Brittney his ‘beautiful and loving partner in life and business,’ crediting her with helping him build the legacy he dreamed of in Montana.

A glimpse into Kelly and Brandon’s tumultuous love story

Kelly and Brandon’s story dates back to 2006, when they first met. The duo reconnected in 2012 after Brandon’s first marriage ended, and they married in 2013. They shared two children, River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, 9, before their marriage amid rising personal and professional tensions.

Over the years, Clarkson has been candid about feeling ‘limited’ in the relationship and struggling to separate her marriage from her work life, as Brandon also served as her manager. But even after allegations, legal disputes, and emotional wounds, she stayed present for him in the end.

For now, Kelly Clarkson is prioritising her children and has pushed back her residency. Whether she will continue with her NBC talk show beyond her current contract remains uncertain.

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