Brandon Blackstock's Reclusive Last Days: Kelly Clarkson's Ex-husband Stepped Out of Spotlight to Run a Montana Rodeo After Leaving Talent Management...Before His Death at 48 From Cancer

Brandon Blackstock's last days before dying from cancer at age 48 were spent far away from the spotlight that he once shared with ex-wife Kelly Clarkson, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Blackstock left talent management after falling in love with life in Bozeman, Mont., where the former couple once shared a home. He became immersed in the Valley View Rodeo series, which he founded in 2023, a year after his bitter divorce from Clarkson, 43, was finalized.

One of Blackstock's final social media appearances was courtesy of his half-brother, Shelby Blackstock. The siblings attended a concert by Shelby's mother, Reba McEntire. The brothers share the same father, McEntire's former manager Narvel Blackstock.

Brandon looked every bit part of the rodeo life, wearing a black cowboy hat, large gold belt buckle, and jean jacket as he posed alongside his famous former stepmom at the Houston Rodeo in early March.

Shelby wrote about "being able to spend cherished time with family" and how his mom's concert "was the icing on the cake!"

Brandon appeared thinner and somewhat frail in the photos posted on March 5. The children he shared with Clarkson, daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9, posed alongside their father in a group snapshot that also included McEntire and her longtime boyfriend Rex Linn.

The timing coincided with Clarkson missing 10 episodes between March 3 and April of her NBC daytime talk show, when she was dealing with "private" family matters at the time. Intensely private, Clarkson never directly addressed why she went AWOL.

Brandon's post-divorce life was a far cry from his days as a major Nashville power player who at one time managed the careers of Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce and Rascal Flatts. He managed Clarkson's career for three years, starting in 2017, up until their 2020 split. The former couple wed in October 2013.

Throughout his years with the Grammy winner, Brandon attended numerous red carpet events with Clarkson.

After their split, Brandon continued to live on the duo's Montana ranch, which she was awarded in their divorce settlement. He received a 5.12 percent ownership share and went on to purchase a separate property in Butte after deciding to remain living and working full-time in Big Sky Country. He immersed himself in ranching and running his rodeo, leading a reclusive lifestyle away from the limelight.

Clarkson remained in Los Angeles, where she lived full-time with their children, until relocating her talk show to New York in 2023.

Clarkson lifted the lid for the first time on Brandon's health battle on August 6, the night before his death. The Stronger singer told fans how she needed to postpone the remaining dates of her Las Vegas residency because of a family crisis.

"While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill, and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them," Clarkson announced via Instagram.

Less than 24 hours later, a family representative announced that Brandon was dead.

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away," the statement read. "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's privacy during this very difficult time."