Kelly Clarkson Is “Heartbroken” For Her Two Kids Amid Their First Holiday Season Without Brandon Blackstock

“Losing their dad is incredibly painful and confusing.”

Kelly Clarkson at the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.Credit: 

Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson is “heartbroken” for her kids following their first holiday season without their dad Brandon Blackstock.
The American Idol alum is “not someone who falls apart,” however.
Clarkson and Blackstock were married for nearly seven years before she filed for divorce in June 2020. The split was finalized in 2022.

Kelly Clarkson is understandably “heartbroken” for her kids River and Remington in the wake of their first holiday season without their dad Brandon Blackstock. The late talent manager passed away last August after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 45.

“Kelly is obviously heartbroken for her kids,” a source recently told People. “Losing their dad is incredibly painful and confusing.”

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock with their kids River and Remington in 2019.

Getty Images That said, the insider also told the publication that Clarkson remains “very grounded” in the face of her family’s grief. “She’s not someone who falls apart,” they added. “She looks at life realistically and does everything she can to make things as steady and loving as possible for her kids.”

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock at the 2018 Grammys.Getty Images

Blackstock and Clarkson were married for nearly seven years before she filed for divorce in June 2020. The split was finalized in 2022. Clarkson later described it as an “extraordinarily hard” period of her life in an interview with People.

“Sometimes you don’t know what life has in store for you, and you think your life is going to go one way, and it’s OK that it doesn’t,” she mused. “You never know how beautiful that might be.”

Kelly Clarkson performing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2025.Getty Images

Back in August, River and Remington were 11 and nine, respectively, when their dad passed. Blackstock never spoke of his cancer diagnosis in public.

“When [Clarkson] found out that he was sick, she remained protective of him for their sake,” one source told People at the time. “Kelly has always tried to keep things classy. It became clear earlier this year that Brandon was not doing well. She’s been devastated for the kids.”