By Inday Chikadora | 03:01 PM March 21, 2020
Vocalist Kenny Rogers, who dominated the pop and country charts in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of sleekly tailored hits and won three Grammys, 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.
Due to the national COVID-19 emergency, the family is planning a small private service at this time with a public memorial planned for a later date.
His well-known hits were the “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream,” “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Through the Years.”
Rogers had announced a farewell tour in 2015 and was able to keep it going through December 2017.
In April 2018, shortly before he was to spend a few months finishing out the tour after a break, he announced that he was having to call off the remaining dates (including a planned appearance at the Stagecoach Festival in California).
Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association the same year.
