Kelly Clarkson breaks down into tears onstage days before ex Brandon Blackstock's death in resurfaced video

KElly Clarkson stood below the represent lights, holding plunk for tears. It was July 26, during her Las Vegas Studio Session residence, and a TikTok picture from that night has now taken on new weight. Just 12 days later, her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, would be gone. According to People, the clip, shared by a fan present at her concert, shows Clarkson, 43, introducing a reworked version of her 2015 song Piece by Piece. She pauses mid-sentence, dabbing at her eyes. “Compartmentalization!” she half-laughed, half-pleaded with herself, trying to keep it together before diving into the story behind the changes.How has the song kept evolving?Clarkson told the crowd she has never rewritten a track more than this one. The original version, released two years after marrying Blackstock, was a pointed message to her estranged father - and a nod to Blackstock as a better partner and father figure. That meaning shifted after their 2020 split.“I wrote this song with a lot of hope and projection for happiness… and then, well, life set in,” she said. After a 2023 lyric change that addressed their divorce, she’s now updated it again. “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,” she added.Her reasoning? Growth. “It just represents… I feel like we grow up, right? And this is the more grown-up version of it," she said.She admitted one earlier rewrite “sounded a little angry” and wanted something truer to where she is now.Piece by Piece new lyricsIn 2023, she sang: “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” - seen by many as a reference to financial disputes in their split.Also read: Will Brandon Blackstock’s death impact The Kelly Clarkson Show season 7? Here’s what we knowIn the latest version, Clarkson’s voice carries different lines: “I’m learning every day how to love me. I let go of the shame that you taught me. Piece by piece, I restored the faith that a heart can still beat even if it breaks.”Blackstock died on Aug. 7 from cancer at 48. He and Clarkson shared two children - daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9 - along with his two older kids from a previous relationship.A day before his death, Clarkson postponed her remaining Vegas shows. “I need to be fully present for them,” she said of her children.A source told People she’s “been devastated” for them. “Kelly has always tried to keep things classy… She’s been devastated for the kids.”FAQsQ: What is Kelly Clarkson diagnosed with?A: Kelly Clarkson has spoken publicly about having an autoimmune condition and thyroid issues.Q: Why did Kelly leave her husband?A: Clarkson filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences.Q: Who has primary custody of Kelly Clarkson's kids?A: Clarkson was awarded primary custody of their two children, River and Remington.Q: What happened to Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband?A: Brandon Blackstock died from cancer on Aug. 7, 2025, at the age of 48.