The father of Brandon Blackstock’s girlfriend, Brittney Marie Jones, paid tribute to the late talent manager following Blackstock’s death at age 48 last week.
“Yesterday we lost a good man Brandon Blackstock my daughter’s soulmate and I considered him my son,” Jones’ father, Larry, wrote via Facebook on Friday, August 8. “My sincere condolences to Brittney Jones and family. We’re sure going to miss your funny humor. R.I.P hoss!”
Blackstock’s obituary revealed details about his private life following his divorce from Kelly Clarkson, including his relationship with Jones.
“After more than 20 years in the music business, Brandon found his way back to the mountains and the cowboy way of life he always wanted to live. He found a homestead and a love in Butte, Montana,” the tribute read. “Brandon, along with his beautiful and loving partner in life and business, Brittney Marie Jones, started building a life, building companies, and working tirelessly to create Headwaters Livestock Auction and what will live on as his legacy, The Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana.”
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Blackstock died on August 7 after a private battle with cancer.
“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. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family,” a rep for his family told Us Weekly in a statement. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
His cause of death was melanoma, a form of skin cancer, Silver Bow County Coroner Dan Hollis confirmed to Us on Monday, August 11. The manner of his death was listed as natural causes.
“Brandon Blackstock passed away peacefully at his home in Butte, Montana, on August 7th under hospice care surrounded by his family,” Hollis said in a statement.
A source exclusively told Us that Blackstock “lived a pretty quiet life in Montana,” and that was “how he liked it.”
“Even though he worked in entertainment in the past, that was not his personality. He was at home in Montana,” the insider said. “He had his ranch and rodeo, but he preferred to go under the radar.”
Before he took on the rancher life, Blackstock worked with Starstruck Entertainment, owned by his father, Narvel Blackstock, who continues to run the talent company. Most notably, Brandon worked with Clarkson, 43, and Blake Shelton. He later founded Valley View Rodeo in Montana.
“Some of the people who worked with him at Starstruck [Entertainment] ended up moving to Montana to work on the rodeo with him,” the insider revealed.
As for Brandon’s love life, he was married to Melissa Ashworth Wells from 2001 to 2012. The exes shared daughter Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18.
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Ashworth Wells, 51, paid tribute to Brandon via Instagram on Friday.
“Brandon was full of charm, wit, and just an absolute gentleman who happened to wear cowboy boots, wrangler jeans, and a cowboy hat. He was by far, hands down, the best Daddy and Pa. He loved hard and he fought hard,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Seth also honored his late father.
“I lost my hero yesterday, words can’t describe how proud of you I am on raising me and your 3 other kids,” the teen wrote via Instagram. “You were a father, a son, a brother, and most importantly my best friend.”
Following his split from Ashworth, Brandon married Clarkson in October 2013, and the pair later welcomed daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9. Clarkson ultimately filed for divorce from Brandon in June 2020, and the split was finalized in March 2022.
