“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.”

Sources have told TMZ that Blackstock had been fighting melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, for three and a half years. He passed away yesterday morning.

Speculation surrounding Clarkson’s health has been prominent over the past few months, with it touted that she was going to step down from The Kelly Clarkson Show after a string of absences. It now appears, however, that these were connected to Blackstock’s health issues.