Dolly Parton has shared some advice about grief with Kelly Clarkson, following the death of Clarkson’s ex-husband.
Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband and former manager of Kelly Clarkson, died last week, at the age of 48. The news was confirmed by his family, who told People that he passed away from cancer.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” they said in the statement. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
The news came just hours after Clarkson postponed her ‘August Studio Session’ dates in Las Vegas so that she could be “fully present” for her family and for her “children’s father”.
Both were married between 2013 and 2022, and had two children together – River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, 9. Blackstock continued to serve as Clarkson’s manager after the divorce, and he had also managed Blake Shelton in the past.
Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas.
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.
I am sincerely sorry to… pic.twitter.com/eDNxHdjtlh— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) August 7, 2025
Now, Dolly Parton – whose husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean, died earlier this year – has shared a kind message of support to Clarkson, and given her advice for the grieving process.
“I think you just have to be grateful for the years that you’ve had with someone and you just try to remember the very best of all that,” Parton said during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Take their energy that they have given you … and kinda just recycle that and let that become a part of you.”
“Just honour their memory and just know they’re in a better place than we are these days,” the country legend continued, before saying that she will try and “catch up” with Clarkson once she has finished promotional duties for her book Star of the Show: My Life on Stage.
When Parton announced the death of her husband, she penned a heartfelt tribute that read: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.” She did not publicly disclose his cause of death.
Parton and Dean began dating in 1964, tying the knot two years later. Despite the lengthy relationship, Dean was an elusive figure for the most part, and rarely seen out in public or in photographs alongside his wife.
In the weeks following Dean’s death, Parton said that she was “doing better than I thought I would”, and then released the poignant single ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ in his honour – describing the significance he had in her life and his role in helping her become the person she is today.
In March, she made her first public appearance since the death of her husband, and in June she said that she had put writing new songs “on hold” to cope with the loss.
As for Blackstock and Clarkson, their split was acrimonious, with the American Idol winner having spoken about an “extraordinarily hard” depression that she suffered after the divorce. Her 2023 album ‘Chemistry’ saw her confront some of the emotional turmoil of that period.
As well as his children with the singer, Blackstock also had two children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage, and became a grandfather in 2022.
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