Brandon Blackstock

Brandon Blackstock was a talent manager, best known for managing Kelly Clarkson [3]. He died on 7 August 2025, at the age of 48 [1] [2].

Starstruck and the family business

Blackstock was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on 16 December 1976 [1]. He moved to Nashville in his early adult years and began his career in the music business there [1].

His father, Narvel Blackstock, owned Starstruck Entertainment [5]. The company is based at 40 Music Square West in Nashville. Its website calls its studios "Nashville's premiere state-of-the-art audio & video recording studios" and lists Blake Shelton, Emily Ann Roberts and Maggie Rose under management [4]. Blackstock worked under his father at the company, and he helped shape the early career of Blake Shelton [7].

The family's obituary notes more than two decades in the music industry [8]. It says he "played important roles in shaping the careers of many larger-than-life celebrities" [8].

Montana ventures

The obituary also credits him with building businesses outside music. It names Headwaters Livestock Auction among the companies he built, and describes the Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana, as part of his legacy [8]. He also owned V Bar B Cattle Co., a ranch in Montana [8].

Managing Kelly Clarkson

Narvel Blackstock had represented Clarkson from 2007 [5]. Brandon took over as her manager in 2017 and held the role until their split in 2020 [5]. The couple had married in October 2013, and Clarkson filed for divorce in Los Angeles in June 2020 [7].

Blackstock also worked on her television show. An IMDb credit cited by Yahoo lists him as an executive producer on The Kelly Clarkson Show, across nearly 70 episodes [7].

The commission dispute

After the split, Clarkson sued for unpaid commissions [6]. A California Labor Commissioner ruled that Blackstock had violated the state's Talent Agencies Act, and he was ordered to pay Clarkson $2.6 million in commissions [6].

The two sides reached a settlement in May 2024. The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled, and the amount was not disclosed [6].

Illness and death

Blackstock died at his home in Butte, Montana, under hospice care, on 7 August 2025, according to Silver Bow County Coroner Dan Hollis [2]. The coroner listed the manner of death as natural causes and named melanoma, a form of skin cancer, as the cause [2]. A family representative confirmed the death to CBS News, and the family said he had battled cancer for more than three years [3].