Bringing the emotions.
In August, Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and famous entertainment talent manager, sadly passed away at 48 following a battle with melanoma. He was the father to her two young children River, 11, and Remington, 9, and he also had two adult children from a previous marriage, Savannah and Seth. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child Savannah gave birth to a son, Lake.
Blackstock was also the stepson of Reba McEntire, as Reba was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, for many years, from 1989 to 2015.
A rep for the family gave a statement to PEOPLE, confirming his passing and saying he had been battling cancer for “more than three years.” They also thanked the fans for their thoughts and prayers, and asked for privacy during what was and still is a difficult time:
“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. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
Reba loved Blackstock like her own child, and she had known him since he was a young teenager.
She shared a carousel of photos of them on Instagram shortly after his passing, saying how “thankful” she is for the time they had together, and noted that she is finding comfort knowing “he is in eternal peace in God’s presence”:
“Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God. His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God’s presence. There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together.
His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.”
Of course, it’s been a hard time for his entire family, which is why Reba was so emotional during The Voice contestant Aubrey Nicole’s performance of Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” on Monday evening.
Reba is a judge on the show alongside Niall Horan, Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg, and Aubrey is on Team Reba, so she has obviously done a great job coaching Aubrey this season, who Reba chose as the winner of the knockout round following this performance.
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It” was written by Ben Hayslip, Sonya Isaacs, and Jimmy Yeary, and used as the second single from her eleventh studio album Eleven in 2011. It cracked the Top 5 at country radio at the time, peaking at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Reba was visibly emotional both during and after the performance, and you could see tears streaming down her face as she listened to the other judges give feedback. When it came time for Reba to speak, she was still crying, but told everyone about how she had recently “lost her oldest son” because he “did not win with cancer,” adding that it served as a reminder that “life goes on,” and singing about it was a way to honor and remember loved ones that are no longer with us:
“I do know this song… Martina’s a good friend of mine. I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer, so that was a real reminder that life goes on.
We sing songs about it so that we can remember the ones that we love so much and that we lean on at times like this.”
She went onto say how great the performance was, and because of how much Reba connected with not only Aubrey’s powerful performance, but her emotional delivery of a beautiful song, she made it through to the next round.
It’s clear Reba is understandably still grieving the loss of Brandon, and will continue to for the rest of her life, but this moment serves as a reminder of how powerful music really is.
You can see Reba’s full reaction wherever you stream The Voice, and you can watch Aubrey’s full performance here:
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
