Brandon Blackstock quietly hung out with his former stepmother, Reba McEntire, less than five months before his death.
Brandon and his half-brother, Shelby Blackstock, reunited with McEntire, 70, and her boyfriend, Rex Linn, at RodeoHouston in March.
“Family time, the @rodeohouston and corn dogs,” Shelby, 35, wrote via Instagram on March 5. “We had a blast in Houston watching @rissablackstock experience her first rodeo [and] being able to spend cherished time with family! Mom’s concert was the icing on the cake!”
In a carousel of photos, Shelby and wife Marissa Blackstock posed with Brandon and other members of their blended family inside the arena, including three of Brandon’s children. (He shared Savannah and Seth with Melissa Ashworth, as well as River Rose and Remington with Kelly Clarkson.)
Brandon Blackstock’s Family Guide: His Kids, Stepmom Reba McEntire and More
Brandon was dressed casually in a denim jacket with a black cowboy hat and stood in front of River, 10, and Remington, 8. They posed beside half-sister Savannah, 23, who was joined by husband Quentin Lee and their son. (Savannah announced in July that she is expecting their second baby.)
Brandon had three siblings. He, Chassidy and Shawna are the kids of father Narvel Blackstock and first wife Elisa Gayle Ritter. Narvel, 68, later welcomed son Shelby with McEntire in 1990. Narvel and McEntire eventually divorced in 2015 before the Happy’s Place star moved on with Linn, 68.
Five months after the family rodeo outing, Brandon died at the age of 48.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a family spokesperson told Us Weekly in a Thursday, August 7, statement. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
The statement concluded, “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
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Brandon had mostly resigned from the public eye after he and Clarkson, 43, divorced in 2022, moving to Montana to work as a rancher. Clarkson also supported her ex-husband amid his cancer battle.
“Even though they went through an acrimonious divorce, Kelly made a conscious decision to protect Brandon’s privacy until the very end for the sake of their family,” a source told Us. “He’d been sick for a while, but his health really took a turn for the worse earlier this year. Out of respect, Kelly chose not to say anything publicly until it became clear this week that Brandon wasn’t going to make it.”
One day before Brandon’s passing, Clarkson confirmed that she would postpone the remainder of her August concerts.
