Dolly Parton gives Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire advice on coping with grief after Brandon Blackstock's death

"I think that you just have to be grateful for the years that you've had with someone, and you just try to remember the very best of all that," she said. "Take their energy that they had given you then, and you just kind of recycle that, and let that become a part of you. Just honor their memory and just know they're in a better place than we are these days."

"Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God's presence. There is no one else like him, and I'm thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you til we meet again."

McEntire became Blackstock's stepmother during her marriage to his father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015. In that time, she was also stepmother to his two other children, Chassidy and Shawna, and despite them being her stepchildren, McEntire has always made it clear she considers them hers.

"Brandon's been my son forever, it seems. Although he's my stepson, I still love him like he's my total - my blood," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2021.

She had previously told The Boot in 2010 that she doesn't "consider Brandon, Chassidy and Shawna stepchildren."

Blackstock died at the age of 48 after a private three-year battle with cancer. His cause of death was melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

Blackstock leaves behind his parents, siblings and four children: Savannah, Seth, River Rose and Remington.