Who knew Lionel Richie moonlights as an exorcist?
The “All Night Long” singer stopped by Kelly Clarkson’s talk show this week to discuss living with grief, nearly two months after the host’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away from melanoma at the age of 48.
“I do think a lot of people deal with grief in such a different way, but I love that you say, ‘Grief is the great teacher of what matters most,’” Clarkson, 43, said in a preview for Thursday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
“And I think, no matter how you deal with grief, it is very different for everyone,” she continued. “But I do find that very, very true. How did you figure that out?”
Richie, 76, went on to explain that grief is not something a person can prepare for, and that the natural emotion can show someone who they “really” are.
“It’s a real moment where you can’t phone it in, but at the same time, we rehearse things,” the “Hello” singer shared. “You can’t rehearse grief. You can’t rehearse the loss of your mother, or your father, or your friend.”
“And so what I’ve found is that when I get involved with ‘uncontrollable grief,’ I let go,” he continued. “And I – believe it or not – look forward to finding out who I’m gonna be, really, because that’s the real me.”
Clarkson added that grief “hits you in waves” and can serve as a “release” during a particularly tough time in one’s life.
“If it hurts so badly, that means you loved so deeply,” Richie stated, prompting the “Stronger” singer to lean back in her chair and utter, “Aww, s–t… like, come on!”
However, the pair’s candid conversation did not end there, because the “Can’t Slow Down” artist proceeded to approach Clarkson, close his eyes and place a hand on her forehead as if to exorcise the “Since U Been Gone” singer of her own grief.
“But I can save you, don’t worry,” he said.
“I feel healed,” Clarkson, laughing, responded as Richie returned to his seat.
The three-time Grammy winner’s ex-husband passed away on Aug. 7 following a private, three-year battle with skin cancer.
Clarkson and Blackstock had separated in June 2020, and their split was finalized two years later following a nasty divorce battle. They welcomed two children during their nearly seven years of marriage: daughter River Rose, 11, and son Remington Alexander, 9.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” Blackstock’s loved ones said in a statement obtained by The Post after his death.
“Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,” they continued. “He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family.”
After postponing several dates of her Las Vegas residency because of Blackstock’s illness, Clarkson is soon set to return to the stage. The “Because of You” hitmaker also recently returned to “The Kelly Clarkson Show” for the first time since Blackstock’s death.
During the program’s “emotional” Season 7 premiere on Monday, the “American Idol” alum welcomed heroes from the Texas floods that devastated the Texas Hill Country over the summer.
“A lot happened for us all in the last year, on personal and career levels,” Jason Halbert, the show’s music director, shared during the taping. “You’re going to see some songs reflect things that maybe she wouldn’t talk about verbally in a sitting on the couch interview.”
