Last week, Kelly Clarkson postponed the remainder of her Las Vegas residency dates for August, revealing that her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, was ill. Just one day later, the music manager, with whom she shares two children, died at the age of 48 following a three-year battle with cancer. While Clarkson kept this family matter private, the cracks in her armor began to show during particularly emotional performances in the weeks leading up to Blackstock’s death.
In late July, Clarkson powered through the ballad “Piece by Piece,” which was written about Blackstock and released in 2015. “I’ve never rewritten a song more, and I probably never will,” she said on stage. “I wrote this song with a lot of hope and projection for happiness and better than what was happening. And then, well, life set in, and I had to change the lyrics. Everybody was like, ‘Wait, why aren’t you singing this song?’ And I was like, ‘Have you heard the lyrics?’ That’s fun. Embarrassing.”
Clarkson and Blackstock finalized their divorce in 2022, nine years after they tied the knot. Clarkson first filed in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences. It was around that time that the singer began updating the lyrics to “Piece by Piece,” on which she originally sang “Piece by piece, he restored my faith/That a man can be kind and a father could stay.” On the updated version, she sang, “And you know/I just walk away when they ask for money/I take care of me, cause I love me/Piece by piece, I restored my faith/That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks.”
“I ended up changing the lyrics. We did it one time, I did a residency here, and then I was like, ‘You know what, that sounded a little angry,’“ Clarkson continued. “So I just wanted to explain how it feels now. I’m 43. I’ve done some therapy, and I changed the lyrics now, and I think it’s perfect. I promise. I’m not gonna change it again.”
In the latest version she premiered at the residency, dubbed the “Healed Version 2.0,” Clarkson sings, “And you know/I’m learning every day how to love me/I let go of the shame that you taught me/Piece by piece, I restored my faith/That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks.”
“I feel like we grow up, right? And this is the more grown-up version of it,” Clarkson told the audience about the final change, with tears spilling over. “I’m really trying to pull it together. Screw it, let’s just sing it. This is ‘Piece by Piece.’”
During a show in August, she paused her performance of “Tightrope” from the Piece by Piece album to similarly recenter herself.
“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,” Blackstock’s family shared in a statement last week. “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.”