Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock were locked in a bitter divorce battle over money and their massive Montana ranch in the years before his death.
The former music manager, who spent his last years as a rancher in Montana, also fought the pop star for custody of their two kids, River and Remington, during their years-long court war.
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Despite the acrimonious split, it appeared Kelly, 43, made amends with Brandon as she reportedly cared for him during his battle with melanoma before he tragically passed away at 48.
However, their reconciliation took years to reach following a years-long divorce battle.
Kelly filed for divorce from Brandon in June 2020, where she cited “irreconcilable differences” and later admitted she “didn’t see” the split coming.
On her daytime program, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly spent the following months seemingly taking jabs at her ex through various comments and through emotional performances of her signature segment, Kellyoke.
“2020 has been a dumpster fire,” Kelly said during her show’s season premiere that year which was filmed just two months after she filed for divorce.
“2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life. Definitely didn’t see anything coming that came.
“But what I’m dealing with is hard because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts.
“You know, we have four kids and divorce is never easy, and we’re both from divorced families, so we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts,” the Grammy-winner added.
The couple, who first wed in 2013, continued to battle over their estates, as well as custody, for the next two years.
Both Brandon and Kelly initially filed to seek full primary custody of their children during the divorce proceedings.
Ultimately, the divorce ended up granting primary physical custody to Kelly after she cited “issues of trust” of co-parenting with Brandon.
However, Brandon was granted visitation rights on the first and last weekends of each month in Los Angeles, where the family previously resided, as well as the third weekend on his Montana ranch.
The court also granted Brandon daily FaceTime calls and time during the holidays, documents state.
MONEY WAR
During their divorce proceedings, Kelly made bombshell accusations about Brandon’s handling of their money and her career.
Brandon, who is the son of music powerhouse Narvel Blackstock, served as Kelly’s manager for years and oversaw her transition from Nashville to Los Angeles to skyrocket her TV career.
He helped negotiate the deal that landed her The Kelly Clarkson show as well as a spot on The Voice.
However, in December 2020, six months after she filed for divorce, Kelly claimed her ex had acted fraudulently as her manager.
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In court documents filed at the time, Kelly described her partnership with Starstruck, the talent agency Brandon worked for, as a “fraudulent and subterfuge device” for their “illegal services” as unlicensed agents.
The documents were filed in a countersuit to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, after claims that Kelly owed the company over $1.4 million and would continue to owe them from her talk show and The Voice earnings even though she was no longer represented by Starstruck.
Kelly doubled down, alleging Brandon had been “demanding unconscionable fees,” “acting in conflict of interest” with her, and “giving false information and/or making false representations.”
Even though they were still in their manager lawsuit dispute, the couple’s divorce was finally settled in March 2022, but ended up costing the pop superstar a fortune.
She was ordered to pay Brandon over $1.3million, along with $45,601 per month in child support and a staggering $115,000 a month in spousal support, according to court documents.
This was all while they continued to fight over their financial empire.
THE BATTLE CONTINUES
In November 2023, the California Labor Commissioner ruled in Kelly’s favor, ordering Brandon to repay her over $2.6 million in commissions he “unlawfully collected” from various deals, including her role on The Voice as well as multiple endorsements.
However, the following month, Brandon and Starstruck challenged the ruling and appealed the decision – requesting a new trial in court.
In May 2024, Kelly and Brandon reached a confidential settlement on the Starstruck dispute and requested a dismissal of their respective cases.
The details of the settlement have not been made public as both parties agreed to keep the matter private and avoid going to trial.
BIG SKY, BIG PROBLEMS
Their differences also included a bitter battle over the couple’s $17 million Montana ranch – where both parties tried to claim ownership during the divorce proceedings.
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Originally, the court awarded Kelly ownership of the sprawling property and Brandon was given just 5.12% of ownership share, which was valued at $908,800 at the time, records state.
Brandon attempted to gain full ownership of the property however, due to their iron-clad prenup, it remained in Kelly’s possession.
Despite Kelly maintaining ownership of the property, Brandon continued to live there in his final years.
He moved out of Los Angeles and became a full-time rancher on their Montana property and made a name for himself at nearby rodeos.
Meanwhile, Kelly and their two kids moved from California to New York City as she relocated her talk show to the Big Apple.
SIGNS OF TROUBLE
Kelly took multiple leave of absence’s this year and while at the time, it was not publicly clear what the family was battling, it appeared she had been taking care of Brandon.
Multiple sources told PageSix that Kelly helped care for her ex as he privately battled melanoma cancer.
“It’s been exhausting and so sad. Kelly has been working so hard, as well as looking after Brandon.
“Despite their difficult divorce, he’s still the man she loved and still her kids’ father,” an insider claimed.
On Wednesday, Kelly announced she was canceling the remainder of her August dates for her Las Vegas residency shows as Brandon battled a “serious illness.”
She did not reveal he had passed though, and it is currently unclear what day Brandon died.
Fans have been flocking to Kelly’s social media pages offering their condolences for her great loss however, she has still not yet publicly commented on Brandon’s death.
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