Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband of American singer and television personality Kelly Clarkson, has passed away.
The talent manager has died at the age of 48 following a battle with cancer which lasted more than three years.
"It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away," a rep for the family said in a statement.
"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."
He and Clarkson were married for nine years between 2013 and 2022 and they shared a daughter named River Rose, born in 2014, and a son named Remington Alexander, born in 2016.
The American Idol winner had confirmed on Instagram only yesterday that she was cancelling her tour due to Blackstock's illness, with a number of gigs planned for the iconic Caesar's Palace in Vegas both this week and next.
She wrote: "Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates 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.
"I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding."
However, his death was sadly confirmed less than 24 hours later, and he leaves behind the children he shares with Kelly, as well as two other children and a grandchild, who was born in 2022.
Clarkson and Blackstock first met in 2006, when he was still with his first wife Melissa Ashworth, although the Stronger singer admitted to PEOPLE in 2013 that she knew she would marry him after that first meeting.
She said: "This guy walks by, making everybody laugh. I said, 'I'm gonna end up with him. I know it."
The two were re-connected at a Super Bowl several years later and they were eventually married in 2013, with Blackstock becoming her manager shortly after the wedding.
"This isn't a downer to anybody I dated before him, but I'm just going to be real: I never felt like, honestly, sexually attracted to anybody before him," Clarkson said in November 2017. "And I'm not downing my exes. You know, everybody's different. But there was something about him."
Kelly, who lives with her two children in New York City, officially changed her name back to Kelly Brianne when she divorced from Blackstock in 2022, although she still goes by her middle name Clarkson as she feels it better represents her personality.
Topics: Celebrity News, Cancer, Entertainment
James Moorhouse