Brandon Blackstock

Brandon Blackstock was born on December 16, 1976, in Fort Worth, Texas, to film producer and music manager Narvel Blackstock and TV producer and music manager Elisa Gayle Ritter. After 15 years of marriage, his parents divorced in 1988, when Brandon was 12 years old. (Narvel married country star Reba McEntire one year later. The couple split in 2015 after 26 years of marriage.)

Brandon followed in his parents’ footsteps in the industry, going on to manage big country acts like Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton.

Brandon married his first wife, Melissa Ashworth, in 2001. The two welcomed their daughter, Savannah, one year later, and son Seth soon followed in 2006. The pair divorced in 2012. The next year, Brandon married Kelly Clarkson and welcomed daughter River Rose and son Remington in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

Clarkson filed for divorce in 2020, which was settled in 2022.

After his divorce from the American Idol winner,  Brandon left the music industry and worked as a full-time rancher with his own cattle ranch. Brandon died in August 2025 at the age of 48 after privately battling cancer.