Kelly Clarkson opened up to her fans just 12 days before her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away.
A video from her July 26 concert in Las Vegas recently went viral. In it, Kelly, 43, breaks down in tears several times while talking about a new version of her song “Piece by Piece.”
She told the audience she had to “compartmentalize” — or push her feelings aside — while performing. She explained that she changed the song’s lyrics again after her 2020 split from Brandon to better reflect how she feels now.
Kelly said, “I’ve never rewritten a song so much before, and I probably never will again.” The song was originally about her dad, but after her divorce, she changed it to express her feelings about Brandon.
At first, Kelly said the changes sounded “a little angry.” Now, after therapy and growing up, she feels the new version is more mature. She promised, “I’m not gonna change it again.”
The updated lyrics show how she is learning to love herself and let go of shame. This was a big change from her 2023 version, which seemed to respond to Brandon’s financial demands during their divorce.
Brandon Blackstock died of cancer on August 7 at age 48. He and Kelly share two children, River (11) and Remington (9). He also had two children from a previous relationship.
One day before Brandon’s death, Kelly postponed her Las Vegas shows, saying she needed to focus on her children during this difficult time.
A source told PEOPLE that Kelly has been heartbroken for her kids and has tried to keep things respectful for their sake while Brandon was sick.
