Dolly Parton Offers Kelly Clarkson & Reba McEntire Advice After Brandon Blackstock’s Death

Having lost her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, earlier this year, Dolly Parton is empathizing with Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire in the wake of Brandon Blackstock‘s death.

Parton offered her fellow singers some advice on how to deal with their grief in an interview with Entertainment Tonight posted on Tuesday, August 12. “I think that you just have to be grateful for the years that you’ve had with someone, and you just try to remember the very best of all that,” she shared. “And take their energy that they have given you then and kinda just recycle that and let that become a part of you. And just honor their memory and just know they’re in a better place than we are these days.”

Parton noted that she has yet to reach out to Clarkson about Blackstock’s death, as she’s been busy promoting her new book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, which releases this November. “I will. I’ll catch up with her,” she added. “I love Reba and I love Kelly.”

News broke on Thursday, August 7, that Blackstock had died at the age of 48 after a private battle with cancer. Blackstock shares two kids with Clarkson — River, 11, and Remy, 9 — to whom he was married from 2013 to 2020. (Their divorce was finalized in 2022.)

McEntire, meanwhile, was previously married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015.

Michael Buckner / Getty Images for Celebrity Fight Night

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” his family shared in a statement to People. “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.” (His cause of death was later revealed to be the skin cancer melanoma.)

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Reba McEntire's Son Pays Tribute to Late Half-Brother Brandon Blackstock After Death

While Clarkson has yet to address her ex-husband’s death publicly, McEntire broke her silence in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.

“Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God. His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God’s presence,” she captioned photos of herself and Brandon from over the years. “There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you til we meet again.”

On March 3, Parton announced via Instagram that her husband had died at the age of 82. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” she said in a statement at the time. “Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

She thanked her “family, friends, and fans” for their support in another Instagram post on March 6. “Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl,” she wrote. “I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”