Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died, family says

Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died, family says

Talent manager Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband of singer Kelly Clarkson and father of her two children, has died at 48 after a long battle with cancer, his representative said. "It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away," a representative for his family confirmed to ABC News on Thursday. "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." Clarkson had two children -- daughter River, 10, and son Remy, 8 -- with Blackstock. Blackstock had two more children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage. In 2022, Blackstock became a grandfather when his eldest Savannah had her first son, Lake. Clarkson married Blackstock in 2013. The "American Idol" winner filed for divorce in 2020 citing irreconcilable differences. Clarkson had announced Wednesday night she would pause her residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas amidBlackstock's health issuesin order to be "fully present" for her kids. "Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas," the singer announced on social media. "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." She continued, "I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding." Blackstock was also the stepson of Reba McEntire, when she was previously married to his father, Narvel Blackstock until 2015. Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas.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.I am sincerely sorry to…pic.twitter.com/eDNxHdjtlh — Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson)August 7, 2025 Clarkson, 43, had four dates remaining this month of her eponymous shows Aug. 8 to 9 and 15 to 16. The Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions -- The Las Vegas Residency are still listed on the Caesars Palace entertainment website for the fall from Nov. 7 to 8 and 14 to 15. Kelly Clarkson absent from talk show for several days The Colosseum also shared Clarkson's update on its social media pages, along with an explanation of more details to come from Ticketmaster and refund options. Fans impacted by Clarkson's cancellations can choose to hold on to their tickets for 2026 performances. There is a 30-day window for those who prefer a refund. "Thank you everyone for your understanding. We hope the best for Kelly and her family," the venue stated in a caption on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Caesars Palace (@caesarspalace) There are six dates currently scheduled for July and August 2026. Earlier this spring, Andy Cohen, Molly Sims, Kal Penn and others stepped in to guest host for Clarkson on her talk show following astring of absences. Though she missed a number of episodes in late February through March, Clarkson did not address the absence at the time or provide further comment.

byAlpha World

in

August 07, 2025

Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died, family says

Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, has died, family says Talent manager Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband of singer Kelly...

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Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It’s Turning Heads

Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It's Turning Heads

Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It's Turning Headsoriginally appeared onParade. Armie Hammeris no stranger to making controversial headlines, and he recently turned heads after making concerning comments on his podcast. During the July 28 episode of his"Armie HammerTime"podcast, Hammer, 38, recalled a time in his life when he smoked "upwards of, like, 15 to 20 joints a day." "I loved marijuana roofie-ing people," he added with a laugh, referencing Rohypnol sedative, also known as the "date-rape drug," which is illegally used to incapacitate people. "I loved poisoning people." After his friendAshton Ramseyurged him to not "say that" and to "self-censor" himself, Hammer clarified his questionable comments. "I loved smoking marijuana with people to the point where they were like, 'I'm so stoned, I can't find my feet,'" Hammer said. TheCall Me By Your Nameactor went on to state that it "was probably true" that he "smoked more marijuana than anyone on earth" and "loved other people smoking with" him. Hammer then shared an example of getting people to use marijuana by recalling a time he gotJohnny Depp"super stoned before a press junket" promotingThe Lone Ranger. "They never let me hang out with Johnny on the press tour after that. They would always keep us apart," Hammer revealed. "They never let us do press together. They were like, 'You two cannot hang out anymore!'" Parade Daily🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Hammer made the recent comments four years after he was accused of rape and cannibalism by an ex-girlfriend namedEffieAngelova. He went on todeny the allegationsand insisted that his romance with Angelova was consensual. More recently, Hammer poked fun at the cannibalism scandal during his podcast's October 2024 premiere. "I'm not going to lie, I kind of like the cannibal stuff now," theSocial Networkactor said at the time. "I'm just like, 'Hey, I'm a cannibal.'" Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It's Turning Headsfirst appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

byAlpha World

in

August 07, 2025

Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It’s Turning Heads

Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It's Turning Heads Armie Hammer Said Something on His Podcast—and It's Turning Headso...

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Former Georgia deputy indicted on charges he used excessive force and covered it up in reports

Former Georgia deputy indicted on charges he used excessive force and covered it up in reports

SAVANNAH (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted a former southeastGeorgia sheriff's sergeantThursday on civil rights charges, accusing him of using excessive force multiple times and writing misleading reports to justify his behavior. The 13-count indictment charges former Camden County Sheriff's Office Staff Sgt. Buck William Aldridge, 42, with falsifying records and violating the rights of four people he arrested with excessive force. Aldridge resigned Thursday after the Camden County Sheriff's Office asked him to step down, sheriff's spokesman Dalton Vurnakes said. Aldridge fatally shot 53-year old Leonard Cure, a Black man, in October 2023, The Associated Press previously reported. The indictment does not mention Cure. District Attorney Keith Higgins in Februarydeclined to chargeAldridge for fatally shooting Cure, saying body-camera video and other evidence indicated it was reasonable for Aldridge to use deadly force. The Cure family filed afederal lawsuitin 2024 against Aldridge and former Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor in U.S. District Court, seeking $16 million. "I think it helps our case tremendously considering it shows he had this propensity for excessive use of force and a propensity to lie about it on his reports," Harry Daniels, the family's lawyer, said of the indictment. False reports The indictment accuses Aldridge of unjustifiably tasing and kicking someone in January 2021, injuring them. In August 2021, it says, he unjustifiably tased a second victim in the in the back and compressed their neck using the pistol grip of a taser while they were handcuffed, also injuring them, and unjustifiably tased a victim in the back of the head in August 2023. The indictment also says Aldridge unjustifiably tased and hurt a victim during a June 2022 arrest and punched them in the face, which was previously reported by the AP. Aldridge left out details of his violent conduct in reports, the indictment says, including that he kicked a victim and punched another. The indictment says Aldridge tried to "cover up" that he struck a victim in the back of the head with a taser. He also falsely wrote that a victim ignored verbal commands and falsely reported that during the August 2021 occurrence, the victim ran away and he tried to use other force to control them before deploying a taser. Aldridge reported that on Aug. 31, 2021, he was dispatched to a pickup truck that had been in a wreck on Interstate 95, and witnesses had reported seeing it weaving in the road, according to records previously obtained by the AP. His incident report said the driver had methamphetamine. Aldridge wrote that at one point that the driver appeared to put something in his mouth and began to run. "He started pulling away from me saying he did not have anything. I cycled my Taser using the drive stun function into Mr. (name redacted)'s back. Mr. (redacted) dropped to the ground and became compliant. He later stated he ate two 5 mg hydrocodone, which he had hidden in his sock. Mr. (redacted) began defecating on himself." A pattern Aldridge was hired by the Camden County Sheriff's office nine months after he was fired from another law enforcement job in 2017 after he threw a woman to the ground and handcuffed her during a traffic stop. At the Kinsgland Police Department, Aldridge, a former U.S. Marine, was disciplined for using unnecessary force two other times before he was fired. Aldridge disclosed the firing to the Camden County Sheriff's Department, which hired him anyway. Advocates called it a part of a pattern where former Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor let unnecessary violence slide without consequences. Several Camden County deputies have been indicted on felony charges and fired for violence. "Finally, justice for some of these people that have been deprived of their civil rights at the hands of Buck Aldridge," Camden County NAACP president Timothy Bessent said of the indictment. Bessent said he is disappointed that Cure wasn't mentioned in the indictment. But he said he was glad to see federal prosecutors willing to hold Aldridge accountable for what he said was a pattern of dangerous behavior that should have stopped the Camden County Sheriff's Office from hiring him in the first place. "The Camden County Sheriff's Office is committed to transparency and accountability at every level," current Camden County Sheriff Kevin Chaney said in a statement. "Our duty is to serve the citizens of Camden County with integrity and professionalism." The FBI in Brunswick is investigating the case against Aldridge. Adrienne Browning, an attorney for Aldridge when Georgia authorities investigated Cure's death, did not immediately return a phone message or email Thursday. Court records did not list an attorney for Aldridge in the federal case. —- Associated Press writer Russ Bynum contributed to this report from Savannah. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.Report for Americais a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

byAlpha World

in

August 07, 2025

Former Georgia deputy indicted on charges he used excessive force and covered it up in reports

Former Georgia deputy indicted on charges he used excessive force and covered it up in reports SAVANNAH (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted...

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2 dead after helicopter strikes power line and crashes into barge on Mississippi River

2 dead after helicopter strikes power line and crashes into barge on Mississippi River

Two people were killed Thursday after the helicopter they were in struck power lines crossing the Mississippi River and crashed onto a barge below, police said. The accident happened around 11 a.m. as the crew of the helicopter was conducting work on the power lines that cross the river in the area of St. Charles County, Missouri, State Patrol Cpl. Dallas Thompson told reporters. The helicopter crashed onto the barge and there was a fire, but it was quickly extinguished, he said. No one on the barge was hurt. First responders evacuated the vicinity because the crash had sent a power line into the water, but it was later found that the wire was not live, Thompson said. The crash happened near Alton, Illinois, which is across the Missouri state line and the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, officials said. Wallace Maier, who was conducting a fishing charter in the area when the crash occurred,told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louisthat it happened fast. "As soon as it touched it, there was just an explosion. It was just gone," Maier told the station. Utility company Ameren said that a contractor and its subcontractor were repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on transmission lines in Madison County, Illinois, when the accident occurred. "We are saddened about today's tragic incident. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims' families and colleagues," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We will cooperate with the investigation" The National Transportation Safety Board said that it will investigate the crash. It said the helicopter involved was a Hughes 369D.

byAlpha World

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August 07, 2025

2 dead after helicopter strikes power line and crashes into barge on Mississippi River

2 dead after helicopter strikes power line and crashes into barge on Mississippi River Two people were killed Thursday after the helicopter ...

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Britney Spears’ Ex Kevin Federline Claims His Children ‘Experienced Nonstop Emotional Turbulence’

Britney Spears' Ex Kevin Federline Claims His Children 'Experienced Nonstop Emotional Turbulence'

Britney Spears'ex-husband,Kevin Federline, is reflecting on fatherhood in his new memoir. On August 6, the 47-year-old dancer — who was married to the "Toxic" singer, 43, from 2004 to 2007 — announced he is releasingYou Thought You Knew, in which he recounts raising his children, which includesSean, 19, andJayden, 18, who he shares with the "Toxic" singer. "This book is extremely intimate and transparent," Federline shared of the book, set to be released on Oct. 21, in a statement perRolling Stone. "I achieved my biggest dreams, dealt with crushing heartbreak, and endured constant ridicule, all while becoming the father my children needed as they experienced nonstop emotional turbulence." "If you've ever had questions," he continued, "you'll find answers here." Spears — who was under a conservatorship from 2008 to 2021 — lost custody of her sons in 2007 during a tumultuous time in her life. It seems the Princess of Pop has sincereconnected with Jayden:In December 2024, she shared a video with him onInstagramthat she captioned, "Best Christmas of my life !!! I haven't seen my boys in 2 years !!! Tears of joy and literally in shock everyday koo koo crazy so in love and blessed !!! I'm speechless thank you Jesus !!!" Earlier this year, Spears showed off Jayden playing piano in a video posted toInstagram, and she also shared amirror selfiewith him in June on the social media platform. Federline has since moved on following his split from Spears and in 2013, he remarried former volleyball playerVictoria Prince. The couple share two daughters, and the family resides in Hawaii, as Prince is a volleyball coach at the University of Hawaii. Spears seems to be in writing mode, too. On Wednesday,The Woman in Meauthor took toInstagramto reveal she's penning "two fiction novels" while bouncing between Mexico and Miami. "I've felt like half the world was shady to me for some reason energetically," she captioned the post, "and I think it's because I stopped dreaming the way I used to."

byAlpha World

in

August 07, 2025

Britney Spears’ Ex Kevin Federline Claims His Children ‘Experienced Nonstop Emotional Turbulence’

Britney Spears' Ex Kevin Federline Claims His Children 'Experienced Nonstop Emotional Turbulence' Britney Spears'ex-husband,...

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