Details of Brandon Blackstock’s final days have been shared after the talent manager’s death, aged 48.
A representative confirmed the news in a statement to People following the talent manager’s secret cancer diagnosis.
Clarkson and Blackstock began dating in 2012 before tying the knot in 2013.
They announced their split in 2020, and a bitter divorce battle followed, finalising in 2022.
In recent years, Blackstock had settled in Montana to focus on founding Vallet View Rodeo, going ‘under the radar’ following his career in show business.
‘He was at home in Montana,’ a source told US Weekly, reflecting on his last weeks alive and death.
They said he spent ‘more [time] than ever before’ with his family while undergoing treatment during the last six months of his life.
Clarkson was not caring for Brandon, they said, but she made sure their children, River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, nine, spent time with their father.
‘She did spend a lot of time traveling with her kids to be with him,’ the insider shared.
‘He loved having his family with him and loved when the kids would visit,’ the source said. ‘He loved his animals and that was a passion he shared with his daughter Savannah.’
Blackstock also has two children – Savannah, 23, and Seth, 18 – with his ex-wife, Melissa Ashworth, from whom he split in 2012.
Savannah, who announced her second pregnancy just weeks before her father’s death, was allegedly ‘with him almost all the time’ in the end.
‘She has been having an incredibly difficult time. They were very close. Everyone is in shock,’ the insider said.
They continued: ‘Even a few months back he looked okay. He looked thin but he looked like himself. No one can believe it.’
Clarkson, 43, cancelled dates in her Las Vegas residency ahead of the news to ‘be fully present’ with her children.
‘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 wrote on social media. ‘I appreciate your grace, kindness, and understanding.’
While Clarkson is yet to comment publicly on the death of her former husband, it’s believed she is ‘devastated’, especially for her children.
‘When she found out that he was sick, she remained protective of him for their sake,’ a source told People.
‘Kelly has always tried to keep things classy. It became clear earlier this year that Brandon was not doing well.’
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