Brandon Blackstock’s first wife, Melissa Ashworth, breaks silence on his death

Brandon Blackstock’s first wife, Melissa Ashworth, praised the late talent manager as “the best Daddy and Pa” in a touching tribute after his death.

Ashworth shared a black-and-white wedding photo of the two and although they divorced in 2012, she praised him as “an absolute gentleman.”

“On May 29, 1999 I married the man who would become the father of my children,” she wrote over the weekend. “Brandon was full of charm, witt [sic], and just an absolute gentleman who happened to wear cowboy boots, wrangler jeans, and a cowboy hat.”

“He was by far, hands down, the best Daddy and Pa,” she continued. “He loved hard and he fought hard. The best thing Brandon has left for his children is they know where he is.”

Ashworth shared two children with Blackstock — daughter Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18. In her tribute posted Friday, she shared a family picture of Brandon and Seth alongside Savannah’s husband, Quentin Lee, and their 3-year-old son, Lake.

Savannah is currently pregnant with her and Lee’s second child.

“I’ve heard it said, ‘Nothing is lost when you know where it is’ and Brandon is with Jesus his Savior,” Ashworth wrote. “Savannah, Seth, and our grandchildren are the best parts of who Brandon and I are. Thank you all for your prayers and condolences. ✝️.”

In Seth Blackstock’s tribute, also posted over the weekend, he noted that he lost his “best friend,” while sharing throwback pictures with his father.

“I lost my hero yesterday, words can’t describe how proud of you I am on raising me and your 3 other kids,” he wrote. “You were a father, a son, a brother, and most importantly my best friend.”

“You’ll have to watch me grow up from a Birds Eye view now buts that’s ok with me,” he continued. “There’s no one else on this earth that I would want to be my dad because no one can be half the man you were to me. I’ll see you everyday when the sun rises and falls.”

Seth concluded, “I can confidently say all the deer and elk took a sigh of relief when the best hunter I’ve ever known laid his rifle down for the last time I love you so much and can’t wait to throw a line in the water with you again. Love you dad. Be good or good at it -love your son Seth.”

Brandon died after a three-year battle with melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. He was 48 years old.

Aside from Savannah and Seth, he also had two children with his ex-wife, Kelly Clarkson: daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9.

Multiple sources told Page Six how Clarkson has struggled this past year with the prospect of losing the man she once truly loved — and with becoming a single mom. 

A source also told Page Six that the singer, 43, is “devastated” for her kids following the death of their father as she herself has not had much of a relationship with her own dad.

Stephen Clarkson left the family when the singer was young and the source shared that they are “essentially estranged.”

“Kelly’s biggest fear during the divorce was that her kids would grow up feeling distant from their father,” the source revealed.

“Even though things were not good with her and Brandon for a while before they split — and then they got positively nuclear during the divorce proceedings — absolutely none of that ever changed Kelly’s bottom line: her kids deserved to grow up having a wonderful relationship with their dad,” the source added.