Brandon Blackstock Died While Living With Former Kelly Clarkson Assistant, Obituary Confirms

By Sage Matthews. Of course this happened at 2 AM: celebrity grief, small-town privacy, and industry side doors colliding in the most predictable way possible.

I am the person who scrolls until the eyes sting, then mutters, “Of course this happened,” and here we are again. Brandon Blackstock, 48, who had publicly battled melanoma for years, was listed in his obituary as living with and partnered to Brittney Marie Jones in Montana at the time of his death. That same Brittney is a former production assistant for Kelly Clarkson and later served as Blackstock’s executive assistant when he managed artists at Starstruck Entertainment, according to public records and Jones’s LinkedIn entries. TMZ first reported the relationship detail after reviewing the obituary and getting confirmation from a source close to the situation; People magazine confirmed Blackstock’s death last week after a three-and-a-half-year fight with melanoma.

So many things about this are typically messy. Blackstock, once married to Kelly Clarkson, remained a public figure because of the couple’s high-profile divorce filing in 2020 and the eventual finalization in March 2022. While he and Clarkson had two children together and she has publicly credited him with nudging her into hosting a daytime talk show, recent months found him living a quieter life in Montana. His obituary describes Brittney as his “loving partner” who was with him at the end. TMZ quotes a source who confirms Brittney worked for Kelly from 2016 to 2020 and then for Blackstock at Starstruck before he shifted his business focus to V Bar V Cattle Co. following the split.

The medical timeline was already visible to anyone paying attention. Clarkson postponed parts of her Las Vegas residency earlier this year, citing her need to be with her children while Blackstock battled a serious health condition, a postponement she publicly announced and which media outlets widely reported. People broke the news of his passing after years of his struggle with melanoma, a disease that can be relentless even with contemporary treatments. The death came after a long fight and at an age that still feels too young for finality in celebrity narratives.

There are a few more domestic threads tying this together. Blackstock’s first wife, Melissa Ashworth, posted a gracious tribute after his death, calling him witty, charming, and an “absolute gentleman” who loved fiercely and parented his children devotedly. She reminded readers that Brandon was the father of two older children, Seth and Savannah, from that earlier marriage. The blended family aspect, plus the public split from Clarkson, made Blackstock’s life an often-commented topic during and after the divorce. Kelly has not issued a public statement about his death as of this writing, which is notable because she was the one who publicly delayed career commitments to tend to family needs earlier this year.

Here is where the industry small-world plot thickens: a former assistant to a megastar ends up as the partner of that megastar’s ex-husband, and it all folds back into a somber obituary line. It is the kind of cyclical, slightly claustrophobic Hollywood story that makes you scroll faster while also feeling like you are watching the same drama repeat across different players and stages.

Fact check notes: obituary language showing “loving partner” is public record and was cited by TMZ. Career history for Brittney Marie Jones appears on LinkedIn and was corroborated to media outlets. Blackstock’s melanoma battle and death were reported by People and widely covered after TMZ’s initial reporting. Divorce filing dates and divorce finalization for Clarkson and Blackstock are part of court records and previous media coverage.

So, yes. Another celebrity life concludes, another overlapping household detail makes headlines, and the small industries of fame continue to feel like private lives rerouted into public consumption. Stay tuned for statements, clarifications, and the inevitable timeline retellings that follow any celebrity death in the modern era. Anyway, expect more details and maybe a statement from Clarkson eventually. At this point, should we even pretend to be surprised?

This will definitely age well said no one ever.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, People Magazine, LinkedIn (public profile), Obituary notice
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed