Kenny Rogers dead at the age of 81
Country music legend Kenny Rogers dead at the age of 81, Trace Gallagher reports.
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton were longtime collaborators and friends for decades, but the two country music stars reportedly never dated.
Still, that hasn’t stop rumors from swirling over the years. But if there’s one person who didn’t bat an eye at the gossip, it was Rogers’ ex-wife Marianne Gordon.
“I never felt uncomfortable at all,” the actress recently told Closer Weekly. “But, it’s funny that you say that. … Kenny said, ‘I like her as a friend and we have a great thing on stage. We’d lose it. There is sexual tension and teasing each other and it would screw it up.’”
However, the 74-year-old told the outlet that she believed Parton, 74, and Rogers’ friendship might have been tested.
Singers/songwriters Dolly Parton and Honoree Kenny Rogers Backstage at the Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years show at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on April 10, 2010, in Ledyard Center, Connecticut. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
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“Dolly might have [made a move though],” explained the former “Hee Haw” star. “It’s entered my mind because he always said she thought like a man. I don’t mean it badly. Dolly is a fun girl.”
Still, Gordon insisted she always trusted Rogers.
“He sincerely felt they had a cute thing going, and if anything happened between them, they’d ruin that.”
Gordon met Rogers in 1974 and they married in 1977. In 1981, they welcomed their son, Christopher Cody Rogers. The couple parted ways in 1993.
Rogers went on to marry Wanda Miller in 1997. They remained together until his death on March 20, 2020, at age 81.
The outlet shared that some fans still believed there was something going on between Parton and Rogers. However, the three-time Grammy-winning singer put those rumors to rest.
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Musician Kenny Rogers and wife Marianne Gordon attend the NBC Fall TCA Press Tour on July 29, 1991 at Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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“One of the things that affect a relationship when you’re working with someone is your upbringing and your background,” said Rogers in an episode of “Dolly,” as reported by Closer Weekly. “She’s a very special person who has a very special place in my life.”
When Rogers passed way, Parton made sure to pay tribute to her beloved friend on social media.
“You never know how much you love somebody until they’re gone,” the singer wrote. “I’ve had so many wonderful years and wonderful times with my friend, but above all the music and the success I loved him as a wonderful man and a true friend.”
“So you be safe with God and just know that I will always love you,” she added.
Gordon previously told Closer Weekly she still cherishes her memories with Rogers.
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“It’s very upsetting when I start talking about him,” Gordon told the magazine while fighting back tears.
“For 17 of 21 years, every day, he was so sweet,” she shared. “I always felt his total focus was on me. If anyone wanted anything from him, he was looking me in the eye and said, ‘Whatever she wants to do.’”
“I think that when he turned 50, I didn’t have his full attention anymore but it looked like he still wanted me here,” the “Rosemary’s Baby” actress continued. “His life is such an open book and after two years he felt this craving, this longing. He said he felt like he was having a midlife crisis. He felt like his career was fading.”
Gordon said Rogers used to worry about his career in country music coming to an end.
“Kenny used to say he had dreams he would go to perform and there wouldn’t be anyone in the audience,” said Gordon. “That was a nightmare to him. That was a repeated dream for him.”
Despite his insecurities, the “Hee Haw” star insisted Rogers “was a pleasure to live with.”
Musician Kenny Rogers, wife Marianne Gordon, and son Christopher Rogers attend the 10th Annual American Music Awards on January 17, 1983, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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“He was always in a good mood and had a wonderful sense of humor about things,” she said. “And he really didn’t change with fame.”
While the relationship ultimately came to an end, Gordon said she still treasured their many happy memories together.
“The end of a relationship like that can be devastating, but there were many fabulous memories,” said Gordon. “I like to think about those. We had a sweet child together and he is 38 now.”
“I couldn’t say enough nice things about him and how special he was,” she continued. “So many people have called to remind me of the wonderful things Kenny did to help his friends and mine, including buying a car for a friend’s mother. He was such a kind, good person.”
Rogers thrived for some 60 years before retired from touring in 2017 at age 79. Despite his crossover success, he always preferred to be thought of as a country singer.
“You either do what everyone else is doing and you do it better, or you do what no one else is doing and you don’t invite comparison,” Rogers told The Associated Press in 2015. “And I chose that way because I could never be better than Johnny Cash or Willie or Waylon at what they did. So I found something that I could do that didn’t invite comparison to them. And I think people thought it was my desire to change country music. But that was never my issue.”
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Kenny Rogers decided to retire because he felt he could no longer put on shows "properly." (Reuters)
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Rogers is survived by his wife, Wanda, and his sons Justin, Jordan, Chris and Kenny Jr., as well as two brothers, a sister and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, his representative said.
The family is planning a private service “out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency,” a statement posted early Saturday read. A public memorial will be held at a later date.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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