Reba McEntire Considered Brandon Blackstock Like a Son 'Forever'

Nashville talent manager Brandon Blackstock had ties to two of the music world's biggest superstars.

Blackstock, who died at age 48 of skin cancer on August 7, was the ex-husband of Kelly Clarkson, with whom he shared two children.

He was also the former stepson of country music legend Reba McEntire.

However, McEntire discussed in interviews how she considered Brandon Blackstock to be her son, as if they were blood relatives.

Blackstock and two of his siblings were the children of McEntire's ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, and his first wife. McEntire and Narvel share a fourth child together, Shelby Blackstock, who is a competitive race car driver, according to his LinkedIn page. The country superstar and Narvel were married from 1989 through 2015, according to People.

Despite her divorce from Narvel , McEntire opened up about her close ties with Brandon to Entertainment Tonight.

"Brandon's been my son forever it seems. Although he's my stepson, I still love him like he's my total -- my blood, so I'm praying for ‘em both 'cause I love ‘em both," she said, when news broke that he and Clarkson were getting divorced.

McEntire shared that she was also close to Clarkson, so she was trying to stay out of the couple's divorce.

"Kelly and I do talk, we text and I love them both, and so I can't play favorites because I've been a friend of Kelly for a long time," McEntire said to Entertainment Tonight.

McEntire made similar comments to The Boot, telling the publication that she didn’t consider Brandon or his half‑siblings from Narvel’s first marriage to be merely her stepchildren, but rather loved them as her own.

"I claim them all," she said.

With her ex-husband in his final hours, Clarkson wrote an Instagram post, revealing he was ill.

"Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas," she wrote. "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 everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding."