Brandon Blackstock’s obituary, which makes no mention of his ex-wife Kelly Clarkson, has triggered conversations about his love life after their divorce.
The talent manager passed away at the age of 48 on August 7 due to melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
His obituary revealed that he was in a romantic relationship with Kelly’s former production assistant when he passed away.
Highlights
- Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock was in a romantic relationship with Brittney Marie Jones before he passed away.
- Brittney used to work as the singer’s former production assistant and then reportedly went on to work for Brandon.
- Brittney’s father Larry called Brandon his daughter’s “soulmate” and “considered him [his] son.”
Brandon Blackstock’s obituary triggered conversations about his love life after their divorce
Image credits: Jeff Kravitz / Getty Images
“To know Brandon was to love Brandon. He was a strikingly handsome man… and if you failed to notice … he was always happy to remind you!” read Brandon’s obituary, which said he found his way back to the mountains and lived the cowboy way of life before passing away.
The obituary also called Brittney Marie Jones his “beautiful and loving partner in life and business.”
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
Brittney reportedly worked as Kelly’s production assistant in Nashville from 2016 to 2018.
She then transitioned to the role of being an executive management assistant for Brandon in December 2018. But her LinkedIn profile said she still “assistant managed day to day artist schedule for Kelly Clarkson,” according to reports.
Brittney Marie Jones and Brandon “started building a life” together, according to his obituary
Image credits: buttefuneralhome.com
Brittney’s father Larry paid tribute to Brandon and called him his daughter’s “soulmate.”
“Yesterday we lost a good man Brandon Blackstock,” Larry said, noting that he “considered him [his] son.”
“We’re sure going to miss your funny humor. R.I.P hoss!" he added in his Facebook post.
Image credits: Brittney Jones / Facebook
In 2020, Kelly filed for divorce from Brandon after being married for about seven years and welcoming two children, River, 11, and Remington, 9, with him.
Brandon was also a father to Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18, with his first wife, Melissa Ashworth, who was also not mentioned in his obituary.
The late talent manager founded Valley View Rodeo with Brittney to keep the “western lifestyle alive”
Image credits: Brittney Jones / Facebook
Kelly and Brandon had a long and messy divorce, which included plenty of disagreements over their finances and custody of their children.
“The divorce was incredibly difficult for her—messy, painful and something she felt terrible about,” a source told People after his passing.
“But she always wanted her kids to have the best relationship possible with their dad. She never spoke poorly about Brandon to the kids.”
Image credits: Brittney Jones / Facebook
Image credits: buttefuneralhome.com
Following their split, Brandon initially refused to leave the Since U Been Gone singer’s Montana ranch.
But after some back-and-forth in court, he eventually left and bought a $1.8 million ranch of his own in Butte, Montana.
During their messy divorce, Brandon initially refused to leave her Montana ranch
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
Meanwhile, he and Brittney founded Valley View Rodeo, which is “dedicated to keep the western lifestyle alive in the modern day,” according to its website.
Brandon and Brittney “started building a life, building companies, and working tirelessly to create Headwaters Livestock Auction and what will live on as his legacy, The Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana,” according to his obituary.
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
When Brandon was diagnosed with cancer, the Grammy-winning singer remained “protective” of him for her children’s sake.
“Kelly has always tried to keep things classy,” a source told People. “It became clear earlier this year that Brandon was not doing well. She’s been devastated for the kids.”
Despite their difficult divorce, she reportedly helped take care of Brandon and was absent from The Kelly Clarkson Show in February and March.
The American Idol winner announced that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency a day before her ex-husband passed away
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
A day before his passing, the Breakaway singer announced to her fans that she was postponing her Las Vegas residency to be “present” for her family.
“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 shared on Instagram on August 6.
Following the loss of her ex-husband, insiders said it’s been “exhausting and so sad” for Kelly as well.
“Kelly has been working so hard, as well as looking after Brandon. Despite their difficult divorce, he’s still the man she loved and still her kids’ father,” a source told Page Six.
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
Her life “has flipped upside down with Brandon’s cancer struggles and now d**th,” another source told the Daily Mail.
The source said it’s been hard for Kelly to deal with her own grief as well as help her young kids handle the loss of their father.
“She’s been blessed with an incredible career and life, but once her marriage ended and once Brandon’s health started dwindling, it has been very rough,” the insider continued.
“She has always been a mother, but now she is in full ‘mom mode.’ For her kids to go through this is just absolutely devastating,” they added.
“Despite their difficult divorce, he’s still the man she loved and still her kids’ father,” a source said about Kelly’s grief
Image credits: kellyclarkson / Instagram
Netizens had mixed opinions after the mention of Brandon’s “soulmate,” Brittney Marie Jones, emerged after his passing.
“Now we know the rest of the story!!” one commented, while another wrote, “Bet he said Kelly was his ‘Soulmate’ at one time too.”
“I’ve read that she cancelled everything to care for him at the end. If true, she should’ve definitely been mentioned,” read another comment.
“Who cares? They were DIVORCED. Divorced people are allowed to move on,” commented another.
“Kelly is a great Mom, putting her kids' needs first,” one commented online
