Kelly Clarkson surfaced this Saturday in her first public sighting since the tragic cancer death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
In photos exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old singer wore funereal black and guarded her eyes with sunglasses as she arrived at LAX.
Although she shaded her face with a wide-brimmed hat, her doleful expression was in sharp evidence as she crossed the sidewalk and headed into the airport.
Blackstock, who had two children with Clarkson and was married to her from 2013 until their bitter divorce was finalized in 2022, died earlier this month aged just 48 after a secret battle with melanoma.
Their split had been marked by rancorous squabbles over money, with Clarkson even suing Blackstock for allegedly making unauthorized business deals on her behalf, and his romance with her former assistant has also raised eyebrows.
Her latest sighting comes after the Daily Mail revealed Clarkson cannot shake a sense of guilt over his death, with insiders saying she has questioned if the stress of their divorce was detrimental to his health.
Kelly Clarkson surfaced this Saturday in her first public sighting since the tragic cancer death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock
In photos exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old singer wore funereal black and guarded her eyes with shades as she arrived at LAX
Clarkson was surrounded by friends when she was spotted at the airport this week, her face downcast as she emerged from a car and walked into the building.
She opted for a simple outfit of sweats, a V-neck top and a small jacket, accessorizing with a hat, shades, earrings and a pendant.
Going for a minimalistic look where makeup was concerned, she gathered her caramel locks back under her hat and wound them into a low-set bun.
Just days earlier, sources exclusively revealed the emotions that Clarkson has been grappling with since the father of her children died.
‘Kelly is aware of talk that stress can impact the body and make someone more susceptible to cancer,’ an insider told the Daily Mail.
‘Although the timing could be purely coincidental, she knows how much tension the divorce and lawsuits put on them.
‘She doesn’t blame herself but she’s conscious that the double whammy of the divorce and the fact that he had to repay her millions of dollars was very tough on him.’
Clarkson and Blackstock were married for seven years from 2013 before they split in 2020, setting off a protracted bout of legal acrimony over money.
Clarkson and Blackstock were married for seven years before they split in 2020, setting off a protracted bout of legal acrimony over money
Blackstock, who had two children with Clarkson and was married to her from 2013 until their bitter divorce was finalized in 2022, died earlier this month aged just 48 after a secret battle with melanoma
Their split had been marked by rancorous squabbles over money, with Clarkson even suing Blackstock for allegedly making unauthorized business deals on her behalf, and his romance with her former assistant has also raised eyebrows
The divorce dragged on for a year and a half before it was ultimately finalized in March 2022. It led to a brutal fight between the exes, with Clarkson eventually securing primary custody of their two children River, 11, and Remington, nine. She relocated from Los Angeles to New York City for a ‘fresh start.’
The three-time Grammy winner agreed to a massive one-off payment of $1.3million to Blackstock as well as $115,000 per month in spousal support until January 31, 2024. After that time, she was required to pay him $45,000 in monthly child support until their children turn 18 in 2032 and 2034.
Clarkson also agreed to give a five percent share of her $17.7million Montana ranch to Blackstock after months of back and forth over the property they once shared.
For his part, Blackstock was ordered to return $2.6million after he reportedly overcharged Clarkson by millions when he represented her as a manager, collecting fees for booking The Voice and other endorsements like Wayfair and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Clarkson released a bitter break-up album – Chemistry – in 2023 which detailed the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of her relationship with her ex.
During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that year, the Texas native admitted she ‘cried so hard’ she ‘couldn’t even speak’ during the years when she realized their marriage wasn’t going to survive.
The album felt like a cathartic process for the singer who wanted to capture ‘the arc of an entire relationship’ instead of simply the anger and sadness.
But the bitterness is evident on tracks like Red Flag Collector where she seemingly calls out his bid for her money.
Their split had been marked by rancorous squabbles over money, with Clarkson even suing Blackstock for allegedly making unauthorized business deals on her behalf, and his romance with her former assistant has also raised eyebrows
Her latest sighting comes after the Daily Mail revealed Clarkson cannot shake a sense of guilt over his death , with insiders saying she has questioned if the stress of their divorce was detrimental to his health
The divorce dragged on for a year and a half before it was ultimately finalized in March 2022. It led to a brutal fight between the exes, with Clarkson eventually securing primary custody of their two children River, 11, and Remington, nine. She relocated from Los Angeles to New York City for a ‘fresh start’
Clarkson and Blackstock in 2019, a year before they split, with their children River and Remington, now 11 and nine
‘Sure, you can have the towels / You can take my money,’ she sings. ‘Drag my name ’round town / I don’t mind, I changed it anyway.’
Little did fans know, amid the saga, Blackstock had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2022.
Clarkson missed multiple episodes of her eponymous talk show in March for what was described at the time as a ‘personal matter.’
Then earlier this month she announced she was postponing the remaining dates on her Las Vegas residency due to her ex-husband falling ‘ill.’ At the time she didn’t give any more details, simply writing: ‘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.’
But hours later a representative for the family confirmed Blackstock’s death in a statement: ‘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.’
Now the talk show host, who was omitted from Blackstock’s obituary which made public his romance with Clarkson’s former assistant Brittney Marie Jones, is worried the stress of their bitter battle could have impacted his health.
‘The stress that all this brought is not good for anyone’s health,’ said a second insider. ‘She doesn’t want to harp on about what this might have done for Brandon’s health, but it does cross her mind. And it does make her think that maybe she could of done more, even though that is unrealistic at its core.’
Instead she is working through her emotions by focusing on their two children.
‘She separated her personal feelings about Brandon after the divorce, and she progressed from there,’ the insider continued. ‘While it was frustrating to deal with him in divorce, once the cancer came into the situation, she felt bad, it took a toll on her because she had to think of her kids’ feelings and to protect them.
‘Now that he is gone, she doesn’t feel great. But being there for her kids is helping her to cope with the onslaught of emotions.’
Meanwhile, the outing comes comes amid news Blackstock had a ‘loving partner’ at the time of his death–Jones, according to his newly published obituary.
The obituary revealed that Blackstock had been in a relationship with Jones and was quietly building a new life with her in Montana, a fact unknown to many fans.
‘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,’ the obituary read. ‘He found a homestead and a love in Butte, Montana.’
It went on: ‘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.’
In a bombshell revelation, a December 2024 report by the US Sun on Blackstock and Jones’s rodeo business listed Jones as Clarkson’s ‘former assistant.’
A prior LinkedIn profile for Jones highlighted in the 2024 US Sun report reveals she served as an executive assistant to Brandon Blackstock as well as an assistant to Kelly Clarkson while Blackstock managed the singer.
‘After a change in management for Ms. Clarkson, I transitioned to Executive Assistant for Mr. Blackstock’s cattle operation in Montana, where I currently run the office and handle administration work.
‘I also currently fulfill personal assistant duties for Mr. Blackstock.’
Jones’s LinkedIn also identifies her as the Executive Assistant of V Bar V Cattle Co. LLC — formerly Vintage Valley Ranch — one of Blackstock’s companies, further tying her to his post-divorce life in Montana.
