Kenny Rogers

August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020

The world of country music is mourning one of its genuine superstars. However, with a career that spanned more than half a century, during which time he had more than 100 hit singles and sold more than 165 million records, Kenny Rogers was not be limited to just one genre. As he quipped in 2016: “I did songs that were not country but were more pop. If the country audience doesn’t buy it, they’ll kick it out. And if they do, then it becomes country music.”

Rogers often preferred interpretation over composition, and reaped the rewards from recording songs written by others. The Gambler was written by Don Schlitz, Lionel Richie wrote Lady, and he teamed up with Dolly Parton for one of the most famous duets of all time, 1983’s Islands In The Stream, a song that the Bee Gees had originally intended for Marvin Gaye.

Born in Houston, Texas, Rogers lived a storied 81 years. He was married five times and fathered five children. Along with a discography that includes 65 albums, his CV boasts a trio of Grammys, six Country Music Association awards and eight Academy Of Country Music awards, and in 2013 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

He was also generous to a fault. Following the announcement of his passing, Don Henley of the Eagles revealed how Rogers had taken him under his wing during the late 1960s as a young musician from an unknown act named Felicity, inviting them to stay at his house in LA, record in the studio and make a single.

“Fifty years ago, the Gambler took a gamble on me and my first band from small-town Texas, and his big-hearted support launched many careers, including mine,” Henley said in a statement.

Rogers died of natural causes.