Clarkson, the "American Idol" star who shared two children with Blackstock, had just announced she was stepping away from concerts to support her family.

Brandon Blackstock, a talent manager known as Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband and Reba McEntire's stepson, has died at 48.

Brandon Blackstock, whose marriage to and contentious split from Kelly Clarkson put him in the celebrity spotlight, has died of cancer at age 48.