Kenny Rogers has died at the age of 81.
His family announced his demise on his social media profiles, saying that the country music singer-songwriter and actor passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family at 10:25 p.m. on Friday.
The Rogers family said In a statement shared online by the icon’s publicist:
“The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night 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 a career that spanned more than six decades, Kenny Rogers left an indelible mark on the history of American music.”
It mentioned how the multi-Grammy Award-winning artist’s songs including “The Gambler,” “Islands In The Stream” and “Through the Years” had music lovers hooked and how it touched the lives of millions of people around the world.
In 2015, Rogers announced a farewell tour and was able to keep it going through December 2017. Shortly before he was to spend a few months finishing out the tour after a break, he made an announcement in April 2018 that he needs to call off the remaining dates (including a planned appearance at the Stagecoach Festival in California), because of unspecified health challenges.
Rogers said in his 2018 statement:
“I didn’t want to take forever to retire.”
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to say farewell to the fans over the course of the past two years on ‘The Gambler’s Last Deal’ tour. I could never properly thank them for the encouragement and support they’ve given me throughout my career and the happiness I’ve experienced as a result of that.”
Earlier this month, a special, “Biography: Kenny Rogers,” had been announced by A&E, set to air April 13.
The special is said to focus largely around footage from the all-star salute Rogers received in Nashville on Oct. 25, 2017, just a few months before his final concert appearances. Some guests who joined him for that sentimental sendoff at the Bridgestone Arena were Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Don Henley, Kris Kristofferson, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, the Flaming Lips, and The Judds.
The family announced that a small private service will be planned out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency, adding that it would celebrate the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s life publicly with his friends and fans at a later date.
His fellow country music star Leann Rimes was among the first to pay tribute to Rogers on Twitter saying:
“You are and forever will be quite the legend.”