Kenny Rogers, the country music legend, led a life that was intertwined with fame, money, and a lot of relationships.
With his soulful voice and chart-topping hits, his personal life was just as interesting.
Despite the fact that Rogers married several times and had five children, it was years before he found his real love, which would last until his death at the age of 81.
Rogers married five times in his life. Although his previous marriages had failed, he never failed to say that he had loved all his wives when they were married.
But he acknowledged that music sometimes came first before his relationships. When Rogers looked back at his past marriages, he confessed that music was his mistress, something that he loved so much that he could not devote himself to his family.
Rogers admitted, “My music was always first,” and it is true that he loved his wives and children but his career aspirations tended to create a rift between them. He accepted all the blame of the failures of his marriages, absolving his ex-wives of any fault.
At the tender age of 19, Rogers got married to Janice Gordon, his first wife. Their marriage came after the birth of their daughter and although the two got married hoping to show their parents that they were in love, the marriage only lasted two years. Rogers disassociated himself with his daughter following the separation and left the second husband of Gordon to be the father.
Rogers soon after, in the same year his first marriage was dissolved, married his second wife, Jean Rogers. But their relationship soon turned sour and they separated after only three years.
The third marriage of Rogers to Margo Anderson was more successful and lasted more than ten years. In the process, they had their first son, Kenny Jr. But the pressures of his profession and frequent traveling strained the relationship and the couple divorced.
Rogers was married to his fourth wife, actress Marianne Gordon, in 1977. They got a son, Chris, together. The couple spent almost 20 years together, but when Rogers reached the age of 50, he was again drawn to his career, and they finally separated in 1993.
Their divorce turned out to be the most costly in the entertainment business and Gordon was awarded a settlement of 60 million dollars. Rogers was not bitter, saying to the Irish Independent: “She earned every penny.” He said that he was thankful that she had always stood by him, particularly when his career was on the wane, when he said: “Marianne really did deserve the 60 million because she is a great girl, and we had a perfect marriage for 15 years.”
Rogers met his fifth and final wife, Wanda Miller, four years later after his separation with Gordon. Their marriage was successful despite the 28-year age gap. They gave birth to twin boys, Justin and Jordan, which gave Rogers great happiness later in life. Rogers was initially reluctant to have more children, but later on in his 60s, he accepted fatherhood, stating: “When I was told it was twins, man, I was thrilled.”
Rogers and Miller continued to be close until his death in 2020. He loved being a father and husband, even though it was difficult to raise a family at his age. Miller honored her late husband even after his death, promising to remember him and keep on celebrating the love that they had.
Ultimately, Kenny Rogers had his share of twists and turns in the love and marriage journey, but he eventually got the deep and enduring relationship he had always desired.
His memory as a musician and a father still lives on in the minds of people who knew and loved him.
