Following the death of Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson's former assistant has been listed as his "loving partner" in their obituary.
Blackstock, who died on August 7 after a private three-year battle with melanoma, was married to singer Kelly Clarkson from 2013 until their divorce in 2022.
The former couple shared two children, River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, nine.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” his management company, Starstruck, said in a statement.
“Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
Blackstock’s diagnosis had not been made public until shortly before his death. Just one day earlier, Clarkson announced she was postponing her Las Vegas residency to be “fully present” for their children.
“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,” she wrote.
However, an online obituary made no mention of Clarkson, instead naming Brittney Marie Jones as his “beautiful and loving partner in life and business,” per the Huffington Post.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Jones worked as Clarkson’s production assistant from 2016 to 2018 before transitioning to an executive management assistant role under Blackstock.
Her duties included managing Clarkson’s “day to day artist schedule.” By late 2020 — the same year Clarkson filed for divorce — Jones was working as an executive assistant for V Bar V Cattle Co., Blackstock’s Montana ranch.
Jones’ father, Larry Jones, also paid tribute on social media, saying he “considered him my son” and describing Blackstock as “my daughter’s soulmate,” according to People.
Blackstock’s earlier marriage to Melissa Ashworth, from 1999 to 2012, produced two children: Savannah, 23, and Seth, 18. He became a grandfather in January 2022 when Savannah welcomed the first of her two children, with a third on the way.
Blackstock’s passing has highlighted melanoma, the aggressive skin cancer he fought. Often called the most dangerous form of skin cancer, melanoma can spread quickly through the bloodstream and lymphatic system.
It can appear as a new mole or a change to an existing one — often with irregular borders, uneven colors, or a diameter over 6 mm.
While melanoma can affect anyone, lighter skin tones with less melanin are more vulnerable, especially in people with blond or red hair, blue or green eyes, or skin that burns easily. Risk also increases with age, prolonged sun exposure, and a history of severe sunburns.
Experts stress prevention: using daily broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30+), wearing protective clothing, and avoiding tanning beds can significantly reduce risk.
Annual skin checks and self-exams can help detect melanoma early. “The earlier we catch it, the better,” dermatologist Dr. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil told the New York Post.
“At early stages, it can often be cured with just a simple excision and has a wonderful prognosis.”
But once melanoma spreads, survival rates drop sharply — from 99% for localized cases to about 35% for cases that reach distant organs.
In 2025, the American Cancer Society estimated 104,960 new melanoma diagnoses in the U.S., with approximately 8,430 deaths expected.