Kelly Clarkson kept her children front of mind while navigating her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock‘s secret cancer battle, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.

“Even though they went through an acrimonious divorce, Kelly made a conscious decision to protect Brandon’s privacy until the very end for the sake of their family,” the source explains.

“He’d been sick for a while, but his health really took a turn for the worse earlier this year. That’s why she was MIA from her talk show,” the source continues, referencing Clarkson’s unexplained two-week absence from The Kelly Clarkson Show in late February and early March. “Out of respect, Kelly chose not to say anything publicly until it became clear this week that Brandon wasn’t going to make it.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Clarkson’s rep for comment.

Blackstock died on Thursday, August 7, just hours after Clarkson, 43, revealed in a social media post that he had been sick. He was 48.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep for the Blackstock family said in a statement to Us. “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.”

The night before, Clarkson announced she had to postpone the next four dates of her Las Vegas residency, Studio Sessions, due to Blackstock’s health issues, though she did not disclose what kind of illness he had.

“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she wrote, referencing the former couple’s 11-year old daughter, River Rose, and 9-year-old son, Remington “Remy” Alexander.

“I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows,” the American Idol alum continued, “and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”

Clarkson and Blackstock married in October 2013. They welcomed River and Remy in June 2014 and April 2016, respectively. (The former talent manager also shared 23-year-old daughter Savannah and 18-year-old son Seth with his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth.)

After nearly seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020. She was awarded primary physical custody of their kids that November while the exes continued to battle in court over other issues, including child and spousal support as well as ownership of their Montana ranch. They ultimately finalized their divorce in March 2022.

By that May, Clarkson swore off remarrying, saying on her talk show, “I will never get married again. Not because I don’t believe in love. I think love is beautiful. I just … that didn’t suit me.”