Reba McEntire, Son Brandon Blackstock Remained Close Before His Death

Reba McEntire was married to Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015, and the marriage produced one biological son, Shelby, who was born in 1990. But McEntire also gained three stepchildren from the union, and she considered them to be her own.

In a 2010 interview with The Boot, McEntire said, “I don’t consider Brandon, Chassidy, and Shawna stepchildren. I claim them all.”

Brandon Blackstock died from cancer on August 7 at age 48.

Reba McEntire’s Relationship With Brandon Was Highlighted When He Married Her Longtime Friend, Kelly Clarkson

McEntire was often asked about her stepson, Brandon. Like his father, Brandon worked as a producer and talent manager. He married American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson in 2013, and McEntire was all for the union.

“She’s married [to] my oldest son, Brandon, but we’re also good friends,” McEntire told Us Weekly of Clarkson in 2019. “So that goes a long way — when you can have a good friend as a part of your family.”

When Clarkson’s marriage to Blackstock hit a rough patch two years later, McEntire said she had love for them both. “You know, I love them both, Brandon’s my stepson, Kelly’s my good friend and I’m pulling for both of them,” McEntire said in an interview with Extra in 2021. “I hope they’re happy and healthy and pull through this. I pray that everybody gives them the encouragement that they can because they need it right now, both of them. I love them both with all my heart.”

Clarkson and Blackstock divorced in 2022. At the time, McEntire told Entertainment Tonight she couldn’t take sides.

“Brandon’s been my son forever, it seems,” McEntire said. “Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total — my blood, so I’m praying for them both because I love them both.”