Legendary country-music singer Kenny Rogers has died at the age of 81. Rogers’s family announced his death on social media, stating that he “passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice.†A six-time Country Music Award winner and three-time Grammy Award winner, Rogers’s prolific career in country music spanned six decades and included such hits as “The Gambler,†“Lady,†and “Islands in the Stream†with Dolly Parton. Over the course of his career, he had 24 number-one hits and sold over 50 million albums in the U.S. alone. Rogers also worked as an actor, starring in multiple TV movies based off his hit song, “The Gambler,†and he also guest-starred on television programs such as Reno 911! and How I Met Your Mother.
In 2013, Rogers and his “distinctive, husky voice†were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. “Country Music has lost the great Kenny Rogers, who has forever left a mark on Country Music’s history,†the Country Music Association said in a statement. “His family and friends are in our thoughts during this difficult time.†Due to concerns regarding the coronavirus, the family is holding a small, private service for Rogers, “but look forward to celebrating the life of Kenny Rogers publicly with his friends and fans at a later date,†his publicist said in a statement. Social-media posts for the beloved star have begun to pour in, some of which can be read below: