Reba McEntire’s son, Shelby Blackstock, wrote a heartfelt tribute to his late brother one year after his passing.

Talent manager Brandon Blackstock died on August 7, 2025, following a battle with cancer that lasted more than three years. He was 48. Shelby Blackstck, 36, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday morning that one year later, the loss is “a void that can never be filled.” He shared sweet memories of his late brother, wished that he could have met his firstborn child with wife Marissa Blackstock, and pledged to “pass along everything you taught m.”

“It still doesn’t feel real. Sometimes it feels like we’re all just busy and overdue for a catch-up call. Then reality hits all over again. It’s a painful reminder every single day,” Shelby Blackstock wrote. “A lot has happened this past year. As I’m getting ready to welcome my first son into the world, I’ve found myself thinking about what shaped me growing up. It truly took an army, but somehow it always came back to you.

“You welcomed me as a new little brother, helped raise me, and, more than anything, gave me an outrageous amount of confidence in myself,” he continued. “That confidence became the foundation for believing I could accomplish anything in life. It’s one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me.

“I wish you could have met Archer. But in a way, I like to think you already have,” he said. “I’ll do my best to pass along everything you taught me. Lucky for him, his teacher is more handsome, taller, fitter, faster, and definitely smarter… I still might not out-hunt you just yet, but I’m working on it.

“I’ll see you around, cowboy,” Shelby concluded his post. “We miss you. We love you. Every single day. RIP Narvel Brandon Blackstock.”

McEntire, 71, referred to Brandon Blackstock as her “oldest son,” when she paid tribute to him last year. The legendary country star was married to Brandon Blackstock’s father, Narvel Blackstock, 69, from 1989 to 2015. McEntire embraced her role as a stepmother to Brandon Blackstock and his siblings, Shawna Rene Blackstock and Chassidy Celeste Blackstock, and shares Shelby Blackstock with her ex-husband.

Brandon Blackstock is survived by his siblings, parents and other relatives, plus children Savannah and Seth from a previous marriage, grandchildren, and children River, 12, and Remington, 10, whom he shares with ex-wife Kelly Clarkson.

Angie Ward