Kelly Clarkson broke down in tears during a performance days before her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, died following a private battle with melanoma.
The Grammy winner, 43, can be seen wiping away tears while introducing her song “Piece by Piece” in a resurfaced video from one of her Las Vegas Studio Session performances posted last month on TikTok.
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“This next song, I’ve never rewritten a song more,” she told the audience. “And I probably never will. I wrote this song with a lot of hope, OK? And projection for happiness and [something] better than what was happening. And then, well, life set in and I had to change the lyrics.”
Clarkson originally wrote “Piece by Piece” about Blackstock back when they were still married, but changed the lyrics following their 2020 divorce. Now, the American Idol alum said she looks back on the changes and thinks they “sounded a little angry.”
“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,” she continued. “It just represents, kind of, I don’t know, I feel like we grow up, right? And this is the more grown-up version of it.”
It was then that Clarkson began to get choked up, telling the audience that she was “really trying to pull it together” while wiping away tears away from the mic. “Anyway, let’s just sing it. This is ‘Piece by Piece,’” she said.
In the newly-changed lyrics, Clarkson changed the “he” pronouns to “I” while singing about someone repairing the holes her father “burned” in her. “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,” she sang.
The emotional footage of The Voice coach was imbued with new meaning as it resurfaced after Blackstock’s death on Thursday at age 48. The day before his death, Clarkson announced she had to postpone her Vegas residency dates for the rest of the month, writing on social media, “my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.”
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep for Blackstock’s family shared with PEOPLE the following day. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. 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.”
Blackstock and Clarkson shared daughter River, 11, and son Remy, 9, before their 2020 split.
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