Reba McEntire didn’t need a fancy word to describe her bond with Brandon Blackstock.
Because when she wed his father Narvel Blackstock in 1989, Brandon and his siblings Chassidy Blackstock and Shawna Blackstock became just family.
“I don’t consider Brandon, Chassidy and Shawna stepchildren,” the singer told The Boot back in 2010. “I claim them all.”
And recently their family—which also includes Reba and Narvel’s son Shelby Blackstock—suffered a tragic loss when Brandon died at the age of 48.
“Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,” a family rep told NBC News in an Aug. 7 statement. “He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
During Brandon’s lifetime, Reba had let her love for him and his siblings, whose mom is Elisa Gayle Ritterbe known.
“I’m very proud of all my kids. Shawna, Brandon, Chassidy and Shelby!” the Grammy winner tweeted in 2012. “Love them to pieces!!!”
And Reba was proud to welcome Kelly Clarkson to the family when she wed Brandon in 2013.
“I think it’s going to be pretty neat,” the actress told Katie Couric that year about having the American Idol winner as a daughter-in-law. “We’ve been buddies for years. First time I met Kelly was in 2002 when she asked me to sing with her at the finale of American Idol. Then we toured together, and we’ve been on vacations all around the world together. So, she was just part of the family.”
