Kenny Rogers
Crossover Country superstar Kenny Rogers has died at the age of 81. A statement from the artist’s family reads, “The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25 PM at the age of 81. Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.”
Rogers started by playing in a wide variety of groups and styles, from rockabilly to jazz to folk music. His career began to take off in the First Edition, a band who had a pair of top 10 hits with versions of “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.”
However, he really hit it big going solo and earning 20 #1 songs on the Country charts over the course of a decade. His cover of Lionel Richie‘s “Lady” hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1980 and three years later, he returned to #1 with “Islands in the Stream,” a duet with fellow Country-Pop legend Dolly Parton. But Rogers is most associated with his 1978 smash “The Gambler,” which he parlayed into five TV movies starring the singer himself. Rogers also duetted with Sheena Easton on a version of Bob Seger‘s “We’ve Got Tonight,” which was another massive hit in the ’80s. Overall, Rogers won three Grammys throughout his career.
Rogers was a mainstay on the touring circuit for decades and launched a chain of chicken restaurants, Kenny Rogers Roasters,” in the ’90s. The restaurant was famously the center of the plot of a 1996 episode of Seinfeld.
In 2013, Kenny Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and was given a lifetime achievement award from the Country Music Association that year as well. Rogers announced a retirement tour in 2015 and stopped performing live in 2017. He was married five times and had five children.
The statement from Rogers’ family noted that they are “planning a small private service at this time out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency. They look forward to celebrating Kenny’s life publicly with his friends and fans at a later date.”
