{"id":3803,"date":"2025-08-14T09:05:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=3803"},"modified":"2025-08-14T09:05:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:05:59","slug":"hes-in-a-better-place-than-we-are-dolly-partons-heartfelt-words-to-reba-kelly-clarkson-after-brandon-blackstocks-death-%f0%9f%92%94%f0%9f%8e%b6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=3803","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe\u2019s in a better place than we are\u201d \u2014 Dolly Parton\u2019s Heartfelt Words to Reba & Kelly Clarkson After Brandon Blackstock\u2019s Death \ud83d\udc94\ud83c\udfb6 In the quiet shadows after Brandon Blackstock\u2019s passing, Dolly Parton pulled Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson aside, away from the cameras. Witnesses say the three stood together for several minutes, speaking in low voices, before Dolly embraced them both and whispered: \u201cHe\u2019s in a better place than we are.\u201d What she said next made Kelly\u2019s eyes well with tears \u2014 and left Reba covering her mouth in shock. No one else has revealed exactly what Dolly meant\u2026 but those who overheard insist it was something the family will carry forever… Detail below \ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dolly Parton<\/strong>\u00a0knows a thing or two about grief after losing her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, in March.<\/p>\n

Last week, it was announced that Brandon Blackstock,\u00a0Kelly Clarkson\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>ex-husband and famous entertainment talent manager, has sadly passed away at 48. He was the father to her two young children River, 11, and Remington, 9, and he also had two adult children from a previous marriage, Savannah and Seth. He became a grandfather in 2022 when his eldest child Savannah gave birth to a son, Lake.<\/p>\n

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Blackstock was also the stepson of Reba McEntire, as Reba was married to Brandon\u2019s father, Narvel Blackstock, for many years, from 1989 to 2015.<\/p>\n

A rep for the family gave a statement to\u00a0PEOPLE, confirming his passing and saying he had been battling cancer for \u201cmore than three years.\u201d They also thanked the fans for their thoughts and prayers, and asked for privacy during this very difficult time:<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family\u2019s privacy during this very difficult time.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dolly<\/p>\n

Brandon had been fighting a three-year battle with melanoma, and he and Clarkson went through a nasty divorce several years ago, as Clarkson filed for divorce from him back in 2020. They finally settled their divorce in 2022 after a longtime custody battle over their two children, though the battle made headlines for years and it seemed as though they were not on good terms.<\/p>\n

Clarkson and Blackstock were married from 2013 until 2022, and they first met in 2006 at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards, when Blackstock was working as Rascal Flatts\u2019 tour manager. Six years later, they reconnected at the Super Bowl and began dating. Blackstock later became Blake Shelton\u2019s manager, as well as Clarkson\u2019s while they were together.<\/p>\n

Many of Blackstock\u2019s friends and family have shared tributes and memories of him, including Reba\u2019s son and\u00a0Brandon\u2019s half brother Shelby<\/strong>. And even though Clarkson and Blackstock were no longer married, and had been through a horrible divorce, a\u00a0source told\u00a0Page Six\u00a0that Clarkson has been looking after him while trying to work and keep her residency, as well as popular daytime TV show, alive. They explained that Blackstock was \u201cthe man she loved\u201d and still the father to her children:<\/p>\n

\"Dolly<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been exhausting and so sad\u2026 Kelly has been working so hard, as well as looking after Brandon. Despite their difficult divorce, he\u2019s still the man she loved and still her kids\u2019 father.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s so tragic for his young children, and I know Kelly and the rest of his family, including Reba, are\u00a0absolutely devastated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And during an interview with\u00a0Entertainment Tonight<\/em>\u00a0last night, Dolly talked about how much she loves Kelly and Reba:<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, I love her. No, I have not. We\u2019ve been so involved in all this stuff here. But I will, I\u2019ll catch up with her. I am, actually, I\u2019m working with Reba today on some oof my publicity today that I\u2019m doing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I love Reba, and I love Kelly, I have a lot of friends in this business. I don\u2019t get to really visit them, people say, who are your best friends Well, my best friends are my family, my sisters, so I don\u2019t have time to get out and socialize.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When asked if she had any advice for the family in terms of their grieving process, Dolly kept it simple and says she trues to focus on the best years she spent with Carl, and is at peace knowing he\u2019s in a much \u201cbetter place than we are\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I think you just have to be grateful for the years that you\u2019ve had with someone, and you just try to remember the very best of all of that. Take their energy that they had given you and kinda recycle that and let that become a part of you. Just honor their memory, and just know they\u2019re in a better place than we are these days.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen to that, Dolly\u2026<\/p>\n

She has seemingly handled the loss of her husband very gracefully, at least in the public eye, and really hasn\u2019t stopped working since his passing. I\u2019m sure she\u2019s sad inside, and has had plenty of long, hard cries behind closed doors, but she\u2019s so full of faith and an inspiration to everyone around her, even when she\u2019s still going through the hardest loss of her life herself.<\/p>\n

While losing a husband of that many decades is obviously very different than losing an ex-husband, Dolly is always ready to lift up those around her and I think the basic principles of her advice can apply to anyone dealing with any sort of loss:<\/p>\n

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