Brandon Blackstock’s death has brought a flood of tributes, but none more personal than the one from the father of Brittney Marie Jones, Kelly Clarkson’s former assistant and the woman who stood by Blackstock’s side in his final years.

Larry Jones didn’t hold back when he took to Facebook shortly after the news broke. “Yesterday we lost a good man, Brandon Blackstock, my daughter’s soulmate, and I considered him my son,” he wrote. “My sincere condolences to Brittney Jones and family. We’re sure going to miss your funny humor. R.I.P hoss!” His words weren’t just polite condolences; they were a window into a relationship that was largely kept under wraps until Blackstock’s obituary confirmed it for the world to see.

According to the obituary, Blackstock, 48, had quietly built a new life in Montana with Brittney after leaving the music industry. “After more than 20 years in the music business, Brandon found his way back to the mountains and the cowboy way of life he always wanted to live,” it read. “He found a homestead and a love in Butte, Montana.” It went on to describe how he and Brittney poured their energy into building Headwaters Livestock Auction and the Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, ventures now left as his legacy.

What makes this story more jaw-dropping for fans is Brittney’s past. She wasn’t just a random new partner; she was once inside Kelly Clarkson’s own inner circle. Public records and a 2024 business profile listed her as Clarkson’s former assistant, a role she held from 2016 to 2018. Her LinkedIn profile, now a piece of country music gossip lore, shows she continued to assist Clarkson even after transitioning to an executive management assistant role for Blackstock at Starstruck Entertainment in 2018.

The timeline gets even more interesting. In June 2020, the very month Clarkson filed for divorce, Brittney took on a new title: Executive Assistant for V Bar V Cattle Co., Blackstock’s Montana ranch. From there, her life and career intertwined with his more than ever, running his cattle operation’s office while also handling his personal assistant duties.

For those who followed Clarkson and Blackstock’s split, the revelations sting. Their divorce wasn’t a quick, clean break; it was a long, drawn-out battle finalized in 2022 after public disputes over property, custody, and even business dealings. Clarkson was awarded primary custody of their two children, River, now 11, and Remy, 9, and later won a $2.6 million judgment against Blackstock for improperly booking deals during his time as her manager.

Yet, despite all that bad blood, Clarkson never publicly attacked him, especially in front of their children. In fact, the day before Blackstock’s death on August 7, Clarkson told fans she was postponing her Las Vegas residency because “my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.” It was one of the rare times she acknowledged his declining health publicly.

Blackstock’s final chapter was far removed from the Nashville spotlight. In Montana, he embraced the cowboy way he had always dreamed of, working cattle, building a rodeo business, and spending time with Brittney, who his family openly welcomed.

Alongside River and Remy, he is also survived by his older children, Savannah, 23, and Seth, from his first marriage to Melissa Ashworth. Savannah, who is expecting a child, made him a grandfather before his passing.

For fans, the obituary and Larry Jones’s tribute have peeled back the curtain on a part of Blackstock’s life few knew about. To his partner’s father, he wasn’t Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband or Blake Shelton’s former manager; he was simply family.

And in the end, that’s the version of Brandon Blackstock the people closest to him will remember.