“Important pregnancy milestone: he ties my shoes now.”
Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband was months away from welcoming a grandchild when he died of cancer.
Brandon Blackstock, who managed Clarkson before marrying her in 2013 and separating in 2020, died earlier this week after a three-year battle with cancer, according to NBC News.
His death was announced on Aug. 7. He was 48.
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The news came one month after his 23-year-old daughter Savannah Blackstock-Lee, whom he shares with his first wife Melissa Ashworth, announced that she was pregnant with her husband Quentin Lee.
“We’ve been keeping a couple sweet surprises,” Blackstock-Lee wrote in a July 5 Instagram post, per People.
“One little girl will be making her arrival at the beginning of January and another beautiful girl named Julianna who has already been one of the greatest blessings to our family,” she continued in the post.
“This journey has been so special full of peace, excitement, and so much grace. We’re growing again, and our hearts are so full,” the real estate agent concluded.
Blackstock-Lee already shares a 3-year-old son with Lee, according to Today.com.
The couple announced their first pregnancy on Instagram in September 2021 with a nature-filled maternity shoot that showed Blackstock-Lee and her then-boyfriend wearing cowboy hats, per People.
They welcomed their son on Jan. 17, 2022, according to an Instagram caption posted that same day.
According to People, Blackstock-Lee and Lee tied the knot in September 2023.
Blackstock is survived by his four children with Clarkson and Ashworth
In addition to Savannah, Blackstock also shares a son named Seth with Ashworth, whom he was married to from 2001 to 2012.
The talent manager then sparked a relationship with Clarkson, whom he shares two younger children with — an 11-year-old daughter, River Rose, and nine-year-old son, Remington "Remy" Alexander.
Blackstock and Clarkson separated in 2020 and finalized their divorce in 2022, according to People.
In a statement shared by CBS News on Aug. 7, Blackstock’s family said he died “peacefully.”
"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,” the family wrote in the statement.
“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 family added.
The statement came one day after Clarkson postponed the remainder of her August shows in Las Vegas.
“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 in an Instagram post, published Aug. 6.
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“I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding,” she added at the time.
