Kenny Rogers, the country musician behind such hits as “The Gambler” and “Lady” over a six-decade career, has died at the age of 81, his family announced early Saturday.
“Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” a statement from SKH Music said.
Rogers’ family plans a small private service due to the coronavirus outbreak, the statement said.
Rogers is well-known for hits like “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream,” “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Through the Years.”
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Rogers and county music icon Dolly Parton were frequent collaborators and paired to make some of country music’s most enduring duets, including “Islands in the Stream,” “Love is Strange,” “Real Love,” and “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”
Rogers announced in 2015 that after spending more than 50 years in the business, he planned to retire and told NBC’s “Today” then that he was saying goodbye.
“I’ve done this long enough,” he said, adding that he wanted to spend more time with his children.
Rogers was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. He was awarded the County Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
Born in Houston on Aug. 21, 1938, Rogers garnered national attention with “That Crazy Feeling.” He formed the band The First Edition and sang on “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).”
Rogers would go on to more success with “Lucille,” “Love Or Something Like It,” “Sweet Music Man,” “The Gambler” and “Every Time Two Fools Collide,” as well as hits like “We’ve Got Tonight.” He recorded “Lady,” which was written by Lionel Richie, which saw success across different genres.
Rogers had 24 number-one hits over his career and is a six-time County Music Association winner. He also earned three Grammy awards and was nominated 19 times.
He moved beyond music to became the star of TV movies based on “The Gambler” and other songs, making him a superstar in the ’70s and ’80s. Despite his crossover success, he always preferred to be thought of as a country singer, The Associated Press reported.
“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 news agency 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.”
While Rogers’ family is planning a small service because of the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting large parts of American life, they do plan to honor him more publicly at a time not yet announced, SKH Music said.
“They look forward to celebrating Kenny’s life publicly with his friends and fans at a later date,” the statement said.
Associated Press contributed.