Singer, songwriter, actor, photographer, entrepreneur . . . Kenny Rogers, 81, passed away on March 20, according to a statement released by his family: “The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night [March 20] 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.”
In his nearly six decades on the charts, Kenny sold more than 120 million albums and recorded hit songs such as “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream,” “Lucille,” “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” and more.
Kenny recorded 24 No. 1 hits, 11 No. 1 albums, 25 Top 10 country albums and won three Grammys, eight ACMs and six CMAs. Kenny was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 CMA Awards.
Kenny concluded his farewell tour in 2018 after enduring a series of health challenges.
“It’s not when you get in to the Country Music Hall of Fame, it’s that you get in,” said Kenny to NCD in 2016. “Music comes and goes, artists come and go, but the Hall of Fame is forever. That was a big moment for me because it represented some sense of acceptance from country music because I don’t think I had that prior.”
Kenny’s family revealed 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.”
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
