American singer, songwriter, actor Kenneth Ray Rogers known by his professional name Kenny Rogers passed away last night at the age of 81. Due to COVID-19 national emergency in America his family is planning a small private ceremony this time but will plan public memorial on a later date. "Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family," read the statement from SKH music.
After spending more than five decades in the music industry, Rogers announced a farewell tour in 2015. He was born in a poor family on August 21, 1938 in Houston. His first electric rock band was "the First Edition" who sang "Just Dropped In".
Won CMA 6 times and GRAMMY 3 times
The six-time Country Music Award winner gave 24 chartbusters in his illustrated career. He also won Grammy three times and worked in a number of movies and TV shows like "The Gambler" and "Six Pack". His famous song "The Gambler" was added to National registry in 1978. His album "Water & Bridges" released in 2006 hit in top 5 Billboard Country Albums sales chart.
He used to run a restaurant chain called Kenny Rogers Roasters in collaboration with John Y Brown Jr, former CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Here is how celebrities reacted on Twitter
Twitter is flooded by the news of his death while tweets on "Kenny Rogers" are trending on number one. Pop singer Richard Marx stated in a tweet that "I'm so sad to see Kenny Rogers go. He did so much for me as a young songwriter and we stayed friends for over 30 years. I'll really miss him. May he rest easy."
Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt wrote, "I was on an episode of Reno 911! where I played a crazed stalker who shoots Kenny Rogers. The cast loved him, he told great stories, and was a joy to be around. And "The Gambler" is a truly great song. #RIPKennyRogers"
