Originally appeared on E! Online.
Dolly Parton knows what it’s like to always love those we’ve lost.
Months after her husband Carl Thomas Dean’s death, the music legend offered some advice to friends Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire as they mourn the late Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson’s ex-husband and McEntire’s stepson.
“I think you just have to be grateful for the years that you’ve had with someone,” Parton said during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, shared August 12. “And you just try to remember the very best of all that. And take their energy that they had given you then and kinda just recycle that and let that become a part of you.”
As she simply put it, “Just honor their memory.”
Blackstock — dad to River Rose Blackstock, 11, and Remington “Remy” Alexander Blackstock, 9, with Clarkson — died of natural causes related to melanoma at the age of 48 on August 7 while “surrounded by his family,” Silver Bow County Coroner Dan Hollis confirmed to E! News.
Following his passing, a number of Blackstock’s loved ones shared moving tributes to the music producer, including his son Seth Blackstock, whom Blackstock shared with his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth in addition to daughter Savannah Blackstock.
READ: Brandon Blackstock’s ex-wife Melissa Ashworth Wells honors “best daddy” who loved, fought hard
“I lost my hero yesterday,” Seth wrote in his Aug. 9 post, “Words can’t describe how proud of you I am on raising me and your 3 other kids. You were a father, a son, a brother, and most importantly my best friend.”
He continued, “You’ll have to watch me grow up from a Birds Eye view now buts that’s ok with me. There’s no one else on this earth that I would want to be my dad because no one can be half the man you were to me. I’ll see you everyday when the sun rises and falls.”
Blackstock also received a moving tribute from his half-brother Shelby Blackstock, the son of McEntire and Blackstock’s dad Narvel Blackstock.
“Words cannot begin to capture the tremendous loss our family has endured,” Shelby — whose mom was married to Narvel from 1989 to 2015 — wrote on Instagram August 8. “Brandon Blackstock was an irreplaceable part of our family — funny, bright, and full of life — and he will be deeply missed. He taught me so much, leaving behind countless cherished memories that I will hold onto forever.”
He continued, “For every treasured moment we shared, there are so many more we’ll never get to make together, but I know you’ll still be there. Every hunt, every flight, and in the everyday moments of life, I’ll feel your presence.”
Brandon Blackstock’s eldest daughter is growing her family during a time of mourning.
PHOTOS: Kelly Clarkson, Brandon Blackstock
