Kelly Clarkson made no secret of the devastation she suffered when her marriage to Brandon Blackstock crumbled.
As their nasty divorce was aired in public, the pair fought bitterly over finances, with Clarkson forced to pay out millions to the late music manager – who she later sued after accusing him of making unauthorized business deals on her behalf.
Unbeknown to fans, Blackstock, 48, was also facing a secret cancer battle, which he succumbed to earlier this month, three years after he was first diagnosed.
Despite their animosity, Clarkson, 43, can’t shift a sense of guilt over his death, with insiders telling the Daily Mail she has questioned if the stress of their divorce was detrimental for his health.
‘Kelly is aware of talk that stress can impact the body and make someone more susceptible to cancer,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘Although the timing could be purely coincidental, she knows how much tension the divorce and lawsuits put on them.
‘She doesn’t blame herself but she’s conscious that the double whammy of the divorce and the fact that he had to repay her millions of dollars was very tough on him.’
Kelly Clarkson is feeling some guilt over her late ex husband’s death, with insiders telling the Daily Mail she has questioned if the stress of their divorce was detrimental for his health
Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock were married for seven years before they split in 2020, setting off a protracted bout of legal acrimony over money
Clarkson and Blackstock were married for seven years from 2013 before they split in 2020, setting off a protracted bout of legal acrimony over money.
The divorce dragged on for a year and a half before it was ultimately finalized in March 2022. It led to a brutal fight between the exes, with Clarkson eventually securing primary custody of their two children River, 11, and Remington, nine. She relocated from Los Angeles to New York City for a ‘fresh start.’
The three-time Grammy winner agreed to a massive one-off payment of $1.3million to Blackstock as well as $115,000 per month in spousal support until January 31, 2024. After that time, she was required to pay him $45,000 in monthly child support until their children turn 18 in 2032 and 2034.
Clarkson also agreed to give a five percent share of her $17.7million Montana ranch to Blackstock after months of back and forth over the property they once shared.
For his part, Blackstock was ordered to return $2.6million after he reportedly overcharged Clarkson by millions when he represented her as a manager, collecting fees for booking The Voice and other endorsements like Wayfair and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Clarkson released a bitter break-up album – Chemistry – in 2023 which detailed the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of her relationship with her ex.
During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that year, the Texas native admitted she ‘cried so hard’ she ‘couldn’t even speak’ during the years when she realized their marriage wasn’t going to survive.
Clarkson and Blackstock in 2019, a year before they split, with their children River and Remington, now 11 and nine
‘The stress that all this brought is not good for anyone’s health,’ said a second insider. ‘She doesn’t want to harp on about what this might have done for Brandon’s health, but it does cross her mind’ (pictured with her son Remington in 2024)
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Kelly Clarkson's hit by unimaginable double tragedy after ex-husband's death
The album felt like a cathartic process for the singer who wanted to capture ‘the arc of an entire relationship’ instead of simply the anger and sadness.
But the bitterness is evident on tracks like Red Flag Collector where she seemingly calls out his bid for her money.
‘Sure, you can have the towels / You can take my money,’ she sings. ‘Drag my name ’round town / I don’t mind, I changed it anyway.’
Little did fans know, amid the saga, Blackstock had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2022.
Clarkson missed multiple episodes of her eponymous talk show in March for what was described at the time as a ‘personal matter.’
Then earlier this month she announced she was postponing the remaining dates on her Las Vegas residency due to her ex-husband falling ‘ill.’ At the time she didn’t give any more details, simply writing: ‘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.’
But hours later a representative for the family confirmed Blackstock’s death in a statement: ‘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.’
Now the talk show host, who was omitted from Blackstock’s obituary which made public his romance with Clarkson’s former assistant Brittney Marie Jones, is worried the stress of their bitter battle could have impacted his health.
Blackstock had been in a relationship with Clarkson’s former assistant Brittney Marie Jones and was quietly building a new life with her in Montana, a fact unknown to many fans
‘The stress that all this brought is not good for anyone’s health,’ said a second insider. ‘She doesn’t want to harp on about what this might have done for Brandon’s health, but it does cross her mind. And it does make her think that maybe she could of done more, even though that is unrealistic at its core.’
Instead she is working through her emotions by focusing on their two children.
‘She separated her personal feelings about Brandon after the divorce, and she progressed from there,’ the insider continued. ‘While it was frustrating to deal with him in divorce, once the cancer came into the situation, she felt bad, it took a toll on her because she had to think of her kids’ feelings and to protect them.
‘Now that he is gone, she doesn’t feel great. But being there for her kids is helping her to cope with the onslaught of emotions.’