Narvel Blackstock's New Wife Is an Old Friend of Singer Reba McEntire's
The talent agent and his family continue to grieve the untimely passing of his son, Brandon Blackstock.
Published Aug. 8 2025, 12:09 p.m. ET
Narvel Blackstock has built a name for himself in the entertainment industry as a talent agent. However, the executive is also known around the world for the people his family is connected to. Narvel has been married three times over the course of his life. The union people remember the most is the one he shared with the famous country singer and actor, Reba McEntire.
No one expected the marriage between Narvel Blackstock and Reba McEntire to eventually lead the talent agent to his next wife. The couple remained together for many years, and fans of the singer may be surprised to hear that Narvel's third spouse was actually a friend of Reba's. Who is Laura Stroud? Here's what we know about Narvel's latest wife.
Who is Laura Stroud?
When the news dropped that Narvel Blackstock got married to Laura Stroud, the internet was curious about her connection to Reba McEntire. An insider told the U.S. Sun that the couple had been involved for a long time, and that Reba and Laura had stopped being friends. More details about the nature of their fallout weren't revealed.
It could be easy to speculate that Laura's friendship and eventual romantic bond with Narvel were the cause of her fight with Reba McEntire. Unfortunately for the fans who live for the drama, the timeline of events has never been confirmed by someone close to the family. Laura and Narvel got married at The Hunting Village in Nashville, Tenn.
Yahoo! Entertainment reports that Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton were present at Narvel and Laura's wedding. Unlike most people involved in this love affair, Laura Stroud isn't famous, which is why the details of her romance with Narvel remain under wraps. All of the talent agent's children come from his previous marriages.
Narvel Blackstock mourns the death of his son.
A little bit over a year after Narvel married Laura, tragedy struck the family. Brandon Blackstock died at the age of 48 after a complicated battle with cancer. Narvel's son, who was also a talent agent, struggled with the disease over the course of three years. Brandon's mother was Elisa Ritter. While Narvel's first wife was the mother of his son, Reba McEntire shared a positive relationship with him as a stepmother.
The world knew Brandon Blackstock because he used to be married to Kelly Clarkson. The famous singer met Brandon because Narvel worked as her agent. When Brandon and Kelly got married, Brandon inherited his father's position as the singer's manager. The marriage lasted until 2022, when their divorce process was finalized after it had started in 2020.
The talent agent had three other children: Shelby, Shawna, and Chassidy Blackstock. Elisa Ritter is the mother of Shawna and Chassidy, while Shelby is the daughter of Narvel and Reba McEntire.