Reba McEntire left Grammy Awards viewers in tears on Sunday evening after performing at the ceremony for the first time in honour of her late stepson.
Accompanied by a live band, the country star performed her Grammy nominated single Trailblazer during the show’s In Memoriam segment, while images of her stepson Brandon Blackstock illuminated a large screen.
Music manager and TV producer Blackstock, the ex-husband of former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, passed away aged 48 in August following a three battle with melanoma – a highly aggressive form of skin cancer.
Earlier that evening, McEntire, 70, confirmed she would perform her 2025 single at the ceremony in tribute to Blackstock, the singer’s stepson through a 26-year marriage to his father, Narvel Blackstock.
She told Entertainment Tonight: ‘My son Brandon Blackstock – we let him go to heaven in August so we’re gonna be celebrating him.’
The performance proved to be an emotional highlight as she made her Grammys debut in front of a star-studded audience at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Confirming Blackstock’s death on August 7, a family statement read: ‘It 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’s privacy during this very difficult time.’
Blackstock began dated American Idol star Clarkson in 2012, with the couple exchanging vows the following year in Tennessee.
They went on to welcome two children, daughter River, 11, and son Remington, nine, before filing for divorce in 2020.
During the marriage, Blackstock served as his wife’s manager, but their business entanglements were the source of a major legal battle following their separation.
Although the divorce was finalised in 2022, they continued battling in court for more than a year over her claims that Blackstock had improperly taken commissions for business deals he arranged for his wife.
The California Labor Commissioner later ruled in Clarkson’s favor, determining that Blackstock handled deals for Clarkson that should have been managed by her talent agency.
Accompanied by a live band, the country star performed her Grammy nominated single Trailblazer during the show’s In Memoriam segment
Earlier that evening, McEntire confirmed she would perform her 2025 single at the ceremony in tribute to Blackstock, her stepson through a 26-year marriage to his father, Narvel Blackstock