Brandon Blackstock’s Parents and His Lasting Bond with Reba McEntire
The death of Brandon Blackstock at age 48 from cancer has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the entertainment industry, not only for his work as a respected talent manager but also for his deep family ties to some of country music’s biggest names. Blackstock, the former husband of singer Kelly Clarkson, was part of a music dynasty led by his father, Narvel Blackstock, and shaped in part by his long-standing relationship with country superstar Reba McEntire, who once described him as her “son forever.”
Like his father, Brandon carved out a career in the music business, managing high-profile acts including Clarkson herself. The pair first crossed paths in 2012 at the Super Bowl, where Clarkson performed the national anthem. By then, Narvel had already been Clarkson’s manager for four years. After Brandon and Clarkson married in 2013, he took over management duties for her career, a professional and personal partnership she spoke fondly of in a 2018 Marie Claire interview. “He’s really talented at what he does and his mind really does work in a completely different way,” Clarkson said, recalling their playful exchanges about switching between “artist” and “manager” roles.
Brandon’s parents, Narvel Blackstock and Elisa Gayle Ritter (now known as Elisa Gilbert), divorced when he was young. Narvel later married Reba McEntire in 1989, forming a blended family that included Brandon, his siblings, and Reba’s only biological child with Narvel, race car driver Shelby Blackstock. Narvel and Reba’s marriage lasted 26 years before ending in 2015, but their split did little to diminish the bond between Reba and her former stepson.
Even after her divorce from Narvel, McEntire continued to publicly embrace Brandon as family. In 2020, when Clarkson and Brandon began their own divorce proceedings, McEntire told Entertainment Tonight, “Brandon’s been my son forever, it seems. Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total — my blood, so I’m praying for them both because I love them both.”
McEntire has also referred to Clarkson and Brandon’s children as her grandchildren, despite the complicated family tree. In a 2018 interview with People, she acknowledged that her busy schedule and the children’s lives kept them apart, but she still cherished the connection. “I’ve got seven grandchildren, so they’re scattered all over the country and busy doing stuff. But I love them,” she said.
Clarkson, for her part, has made it clear that her friendship with McEntire remained intact despite her divorce from Brandon. Appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in June 2023, she explained, “I think we’re both women of sound mind that know that life doesn’t work out sometimes… no hard feelings there, just feelings.”
Brandon Blackstock’s life was deeply intertwined with music, family, and a network of enduring relationships that extended beyond legal definitions. From his early years in a family immersed in the entertainment industry to his long bond with Reba McEntire and the family he built with Kelly Clarkson, those connections remained a defining part of his story — and will be remembered as warmly as the man himself.