Resurfaced clip shows Kelly Clarkson break down in tears days before her ex-husband died
She was mid-performance
Kelly Clarkson has never been one to hide her emotions, but a clip from one of her Vegas shows is hitting a little differently now.
The video, which has recently resurfaced online, shows Kelly tearing up mid-performance just days before the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
It’s raw, emotional, and has left people in awe of her strength as she manages to continue singing Piece by Piece on stage in the clip.
The Kelly Clarkson clip everyone’s talking about
The footage comes from her July 26 show in Las Vegas, where she was about to sing Piece by Piece, a song that’s carried a lot of emotional weight for her over the years.
While talking about the updated version of the track, she suddenly stopped, wiped her eyes, and said the word “compartmentalisation,” almost like she was coaching herself through it.
The crowd cheered her on, but you can see how hard she’s working to keep it together.
Piece by Piece isn’t just any song in her setlist. When American Idol star Kelly first released it in 2015, it was a love letter of sorts, about a partner restoring her faith in love and fatherhood.
But after her messy divorce, the lyrics shifted, at first more bitter, later more reflective, and now almost like she’s rewriting her story in real time.
Why the timing hits so hard
@modestishottest4u I love how raw and real she is. What a phenomenal performance she put on for us. #kellyclarkson #lasvegas #cesarspalace #piecebypiece #studiosessions #kellyclarksonlasvegas
What makes this clip especially emotional is when it was filmed.
Kelly’s emotional moment was captured just 12 days before Brandon Blackstock sadly passed away from cancer on August 7, 2025.
Not long after that show, Kelly cancelled the rest of her Vegas residency, explaining she needed to focus on her kids during such a tough time.
Knowing that now, the video feels almost haunting, like she was carrying a weight the audience couldn’t quite see.
Of course, we can’t know exactly what she was thinking in that moment. But the tears, the pause, the little pep talk to herself on stage, it all shows just how much pressure she was under both personally and professionally.
And that’s something people love about her. Kelly doesn’t just sing songs, she lives them, and that emotion is something everyone can relate to.
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