Reba McEntire says that Kelly Clarkson and her children are "hanging in there" following Brandon Blackstock's death

Reba told Entertainment Tonight ahead of the ceremony: "Everybody's hanging in there.

"We miss Brandon so much. He was so much life, joy, love. He was a producer and a character, and we all have a big text chain that we stay together and talk about him and remember him and they're all excited about tonight also."

McEntire performed her new song Trailblazer during the In Memoriam segment and wanted to pay a fitting tribute to Brandon and other loved ones she has lost.

The country star said: "I've got a lot of friends up on that big screen and my son, Brandon Blackstock, we let him go to heaven in August, so we're gonna be celebrating him tonight also.

"We'll miss them, and we're hoping to be with them again someday soon."

Kelly, who was married to Brandon from 2013 to 2022, recently gave an insight into how her children were coping after the death of their father from a form of skin cancer called melanoma.

When asked by a fan during a YouTube Q+A on the official Kelly Clarkson Show channel to share one thing she does every day that brings her joy, the Since U Been Gone singer said: "Snuggle. My kids, they're nine and 11. Kind of that special little fun stage where they can wipe their own behinds, but they're still small enough to, like, love cuddling and love snuggles.

"There's been a lot for our family recently, and so I have allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit.

"It's my two dogs, my two kids and me. It's a lot. It's been really special, though, because... the conversations you have during that time are pretty cute. So that's probably my favourite time of day."