Kelly Clarkson’s Last Public Appearance with Her Ex-Husband in Photos

Brandon Blackstock’s final red carpet appearance with Kelly Clarkson came in January 2020, just months before their marriage ended — and nearly six years before his death from cancer. The former couple, who were married for nearly seven years, stepped out together at the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles, posing for photos and smiling arm-in-arm in what would become their last public event as a pair.

Clarkson and Blackstock Enjoyed a Glamorous Night Months Before Their Split

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At the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards, Blackstock wore a classic black suit and tie with a crisp white button-down shirt. Clarkson stunned in a long-sleeved black velvet gown with a plunging neckline, ruffled detailing, voluminous waves, and a bold red lip.

The pair wrapped their arms around each other on the carpet, giving no sign of the turmoil that lay ahead. Just five months later, in June 2020, Clarkson filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

The split set off a lengthy and highly publicized legal battle over spousal support, custody of their children — daughter River, now 11, and son Remington, now 9 — and Clarkson’s Montana ranch. Clarkson ultimately won primary custody in November 2020, and their divorce was settled in March 2022. Blackstock was ordered to leave the Montana property by June of that year.

Despite their rocky post-marriage relationship, Clarkson stood by her ex as his health deteriorated. A family spokesperson confirmed to Page Six on August 7, 2025, that Blackstock had died at 48 following a more than three-year battle with melanoma.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” the statement read. “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.”

The day before his death, Clarkson announced the cancellation of her remaining August Las Vegas residency dates, telling fans she needed to be “fully present” for her children while their father was ill.

Kelly Clarkson Once Called Her Ex-Husband ‘Hot, Normal, and Funny’

Clarkson first met Blackstock in 2006 backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards, where she was being managed by his father, Narvel Blackstock. “I’m like, ‘Like that guy — hot, normal and funny,’” she told People in 2013. “I’m gonna end up with him. I know it.”

At the time, Blackstock was married, but Clarkson admitted she felt an instant spark. “Sometimes it sucks dating because it’s so many wrong ones until you get the right one,” she said.

They reconnected in 2012 at the Super Bowl — Clarkson was performing the national anthem, while Blackstock’s client Blake Shelton sang “America the Beautiful” — and both were newly single. Their relationship quickly deepened, and by early 2013, Clarkson was openly smitten. “I didn’t know life could be this happy,” she said.

Clarkson has been candid about the intensity of their early connection. “I honestly thought I was asexual — I’d never been turned on like that in my whole life,” she told Cosmopolitan in 2017. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s that feeling… OK! That’s what they were talking about in Waiting to Exhale.’”

In December 2012, Blackstock proposed during a quiet night at home. “We always play darts and drink beer and listen to vinyl,” Clarkson recalled. “I just said, ‘Thanks for being an awesome guy. I’ve never been loved properly by a man.’ Then all of a sudden he’s on his knee. I was like, ‘Did he drop something?’”

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock married in October 2013 at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, with Shelton performing at the ceremony. For years, they presented a united front — personally and professionally — until their high-profile split in 2020.