Kelly Clarkson's Heartfelt Guilt Over Ex Brandon Blackstock's Death

KELLY CLARKSON'S LOVE LIFE IN SHAMBLES: SINGER LEFT GRIEVING OVER EX-HUSBAND BRANDON BLACKSTOCK'S DEATH

In a shocking twist, Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock has passed away after a secret battle with cancer. The news comes just as the singer was coming to terms with the end of their marriage and the messy divorce that followed.

Clarkson, 43, made no secret of her devastation when she announced her split from Blackstock in 2020. The couple's seven-year marriage had been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, but nothing could have prepared them for the bitter battle over finances that ensued after their separation.

The divorce was a long and grueling process, with both parties trading blows over who would get what. Clarkson eventually emerged victorious, securing primary custody of their two children, River, 11, and Remington, nine. But in a stunning twist, Blackstock's family revealed that he had been secretly battling cancer for three years.

As Clarkson reflected on the divorce, she couldn't help but wonder if the stress of it all had contributed to her ex-husband's health issues. "Kelly is aware of the talk that stress can impact the body and make someone more susceptible to cancer," an insider told The Scholarly Note. "Although the timing could be purely coincidental, she knows how much tension the divorce and lawsuits put on them."

The drama between Clarkson and Blackstock played out in public, with both parties trading blows over money and custody of their children. But behind closed doors, Blackstock was struggling to come to terms with his diagnosis.

"It's a huge shame that he couldn't share this with Kelly," an insider revealed. "He didn't want her to worry about him, but she found out anyway."

As Clarkson navigated the divorce process, she released a break-up album, Chemistry, which detailed the "good, the bad and the ugly" of their relationship. The album was 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 between Clarkson and Blackstock was evident on tracks like Red Flag Collector, where she seemingly calls out his bid for her money. "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 that amid all the drama, 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." But just weeks later, she announced that she would be postponing the remaining dates on her Las Vegas residency due to her ex-husband's illness.

"I need to be fully present for them," she wrote, without giving any further details. 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."

Now, Clarkson is left to pick up the pieces and care for their two children. An insider revealed that she is struggling to come to terms with her ex-husband's passing. "She feels guilty about what happened between them," they said. "She wishes things could have been different."

But as Clarkson reflects on their relationship, she knows that she did everything she could to protect herself and their children. "The stress that all this brought is not good for anyone's health," the insider continued. "She doesn't want to harp on about what this might have done for Brandon's health, but it does cross her mind."

As Clarkson moves forward with her life, one thing is clear: she will always be grateful for the lessons she learned from their relationship. "It's a complicated situation," an insider summed up. "But Kelly knows that she did everything she could to protect herself and her kids."