Brittney Marie Jones went from working behind the scenes for Kelly Clarkson to building a Montana life with Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. When Brandon Blackstock’s obituary was published after his death on August 7, it did not just list the children he adored or the legacy ranching business he built. It also named Brittney as … Read more
It’s the kind of twist you usually only see in country songs. A man builds a new life in Montana with the woman who once worked for his ex-wife. When Brandon Blackstock passed away on August 7 after a three-year fight with melanoma, his obituary didn’t just list family. It honored Brittney Marie Jones as … Read more
Taylor Swift has a new album on the way, and now some folks are whispering about a return to country music. But here’s the thing. She’s the one who left, and this isn’t the kind of genre you just waltz back into when it suits you. The announcement dropped at midnight on Aug. 12 during … Read more
Porter Wagoner didn’t just wear rhinestones. He wore them like armor, stepping under the spotlight as if the Opry stage was his throne. Born August 12, 1927, in the Ozarks of Missouri, Porter grew up in a place where hard work was the currency and dreams were something you chased between chores. He left school … Read more
The lights might shine bright onstage, but Brooks & Dunn say that behind the scenes, some country stars can barely stand each other. Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks have been in country music long enough to tell the difference between a friend you can call at 2 a.m. and one who only slaps your back … Read more
Merle Haggard could turn hard living into poetry, but without Bonnie Owens, some of his most timeless words might have never made it past a passing thought. They met in 1961, when Merle Haggard was fresh off a divorce and Bonnie was already a rising star in California country circles. By 1965, they were married, … Read more
Hank Williams walked onto the Grand Ole Opry stage in June 1949 and left it that night with six encores ringing in the rafters, but just three years later, the same stage would shut its doors on him for good. By 1952, Williams wasn’t just country music’s brightest star. He was the voice of heartbreak, … Read more
Seth Blackstock’s words were simple, but they carried the kind of weight only a son can feel when the man who raised him is gone. On August 8, just one day after Brandon Blackstock’s death, Seth posted a series of photos on Instagram, snapshots of horses, fishing trips, and a proud dad watching his boy … Read more
Brandon Blackstock was all smiles under a black cowboy hat when he stepped into RodeoHouston last March, standing shoulder to shoulder with his former stepmom Reba McEntire and her longtime love, Rex Linn. It had been years since Brandon’s name made regular headlines, and even longer since he was in the middle of country music’s … Read more
Kelly Clarkson was all tears and trembling hands when she sang “Piece by Piece” in Vegas, just days before Brandon Blackstock’s death. On July 26 in Las Vegas, just twelve days before the death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson stood under the Studio Sessions spotlight, introducing a song she’s rewritten more than once, and … Read more
Spencer Hatcher was ready to play for packed crowds when tragedy kicked down his family’s front door. The up-and-coming traditional country singer had circled two big dates on his calendar, the VOA Country Music Fest in Ohio and the Rockingham County Fair in his home state of Virginia. Now both shows are off the books, … Read more
Spencer Hatcher’s world shattered just before midnight on a quiet Sunday in the Shenandoah Valley. The rising country artist, known for blending bluegrass grit with traditional country soul, got the kind of phone call no one’s ever ready for. His mother, 62-year-old Holly Hatcher, had been stabbed to death inside the family’s Rockingham County home. … Read more
Bunnie Xo leaned into the mic with that unfiltered spark she’s known for and let the world know exactly where her marriage to Jelly Roll stands. On the latest episode of her D𝐮mb Blonde podcast, the internet’s favorite truth-teller decided she’d heard enough of the whispers. Fans have been firing off comments about how she … Read more
Jeannie Seely is getting one last standing ovation in the place she made her own, the Grand Ole Opry stage. On August 14, at 10 a.m. CT, the country legend’s “5,398th Opry Show” will go down in history as her official celebration of life. It’s open to the public, because of course it is, Jeannie … Read more
Ella Langley isn’t here to play along with the cookie-cutter, plastic-wrapped version of country music that’s crept into the mainstream. The “Damn Country Music Tour” opener sat down with The Bobby Bones Show this week and, between stories about life on the road with Riley Green and Morgan Wallen, dropped a line that should make … Read more
Sometimes, the biggest thing a person can do is the thing no one sees. For Kelly Clarkson, that moment came when she learned her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, was sick, and decided to handle it in a way that nobody could twist into tabloid fodder. Clarkson and Blackstock had been through hell together. Seven years of … Read more
Sometimes the ugliest chapters get written after the dust settles. For Brandon Blackstock, the years following his brutal split from Kelly Clarkson weren’t just about legal battles, spousal support checks, and tabloid fodder. It was during that stretch, after the ink was dry on their divorce, that he learned he had cancer. A source close … Read more
Ashley McBryde is the kind of country artist who’s more likely to blow her voice hollering at a bonfire than babying it in a green room, but right now she doesn’t have a choice. Doctor’s orders say zip it. On August 6, McBryde broke the news to her fans in true Ashley fashion, not some … Read more
Sometimes all it takes is one sentence from the right person to set your life on a completely different course. For Blake Shelton, that person wasn’t a record exec or a Nashville hotshot. It was a little old lady from his Oklahoma hometown who just happened to be one of the most legendary songwriters in … Read more
Jeannie Seely is getting one last show in the place she owned for nearly six decades, the Grand Ole Opry. On August 14, the woman who redefined what it meant to be an Opry member will be honored with a public memorial service at the Opry House in Nashville. They’re even billing it as Jeannie … Read more
Kelly Clarkson is walking back into the spotlight this fall with The Kelly Clarkson Show, just weeks after saying goodbye to her ex-husband and the father of her kids, Brandon Blackstock. Season 7 of the NBC daytime series is set to premiere in September, PEOPLE confirms, following a summer where the talk show host’s life … Read more
The Blackstock family is hurting, and Shelby Blackstock isn’t sugarcoating it. One day after the news broke that his older brother, Brandon Blackstock, died at 48 after more than three years fighting cancer, Shelby took to Instagram to let the world know exactly what his brother meant to him and that the loss cuts deep. … Read more
Reba McEntire’s long, winding connection to Brandon Blackstock reads like something straight out of a country ballad, layered with love, family ties, and bittersweet endings. Long before Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock became one of country-pop’s most talked-about couples, Brandon was already part of Reba’s world. Reba married his father, Narvel Blackstock, back in 1989, … Read more
Brandon Blackstock built his career in the heart of country music’s inner circle, and for years one of his closest allies was Blake Shelton. Long before his name was tied to Kelly Clarkson, Brandon was walking the family path, stepping into his father Narvel Blackstock’s world at Starstruck Entertainment. The roster was loaded with talent, … Read more
Kelly Clarkson has weathered her fair share of storms, but nothing could prepare her for the heartbreak of losing Brandon Blackstock, the father of her two kids. Blackstock passed away on August 7 at just 48 years old after a three-year battle with cancer that the family kept intensely private. For Clarkson, the pain isn’t … Read more
Life just hit Kelly Clarkson with the kind of blow that makes music, Vegas lights, and sold-out crowds feel like background noise. What fans first thought was just another last-minute postponement of her Las Vegas residency turned out to be something far heavier. Her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, had been fighting cancer for more than three … Read more
Brandon Blackstock’s life was one that wove together music industry success, high-profile love, family devotion, and, in the end, a quiet, determined fight against cancer that he kept largely out of the public eye. The former talent manager, known to most as Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and to country fans as the former stepson of Reba … Read more
For all the tattoos, chart-topping hits, and hard-knock stories, the most tender part of Jelly Roll’s life is at home, with his kids, Bailee Ann and Noah Buddy. Bailee Ann View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jelly Roll (@jellyroll615) When Bailee Ann was born on May 22, 2008, her dad was locked … Read more
Country music’s powerhouse may light up the stage, but at home, Carrie Underwood is just “Mom.” Whether she’s belting out “Before He Cheats” or packing lunchboxes, she makes it all look easy. Behind the scenes, Carrie and her husband Mike Fisher are raising two little guys who are shaping up to be as dynamic and … Read more
Some heartbreaks never go quiet. Country legend Lorrie Morgan is no stranger to grief, but nothing prepared her for the storm that hit when her husband, Randy White, lost his battle with cancer on June 1. The couple had spent 17 years building a life together, traveling the world, raising their blended family, and finding … Read more