Who was Kenny Rogers? Everything to Know About His Personal Life

Inside Kenny Rogers' personal life. The later singer got married numerous times, and left behind a brood of five!  

Kenny Rogers was a Hall of Fame inducted singer-songwriter. During his seven decades-long career in the music industry, Rogers sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Although mostly endeared by country music fans, Kenny's songs spanned various genres, including pop, and soft rock.  

Born Kenneth Ray Rogers, on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, he rose to prominence as a solo artist in the 70s. It has been more than six years since the singer's demise and Kenny is back in the news again as his wife, Wanda Rogers, releases his first posthumous album,  Life Is Like A Song.  

Kenny Rogers' Many Marriages!  

At the time of his death in 2017, Rogers has had four failed marriages and an ongoing fifth nuptial. The famed country crooner wasn't all that lucky after all. Success didn't follow Kenny in all departments. While he certainly overthrew many in the race for a career, Rogers lacked bliss and stability in his personal life.    

Like many Gen X-born celebs, Rogers, too, delved into marriage at a very young age. The Gambler hitmaker was 19 when he first married Janice Cordon, in 1958. It was later revealed that the pair had conceived a child out of wedlock, and hence, were compelled to exchange vows.  

Rogers and Cordon's marriage was over within two years after the birth of their firstborn. Showing no regret and leftover feelings for how things turned out, Rogers professed how it was a phase and it passed. The Houston-born singer married his second wife, Jean Rogers, in 1960, the same year he and Cordon split.   

Kenny's second nuptial turned out to be a repetition of his last one as it ended swiftly. The Love Lifted Me crooner cited their mutual boredom as the catalyst of their separation. Following his divorce from Jean in 1963, Kenny didn't flinch jump-starting another romance. He soon started courting Margo Anderson.  

The pair walked down the aisle in October 1963 and it turned out to be a more fulfilling marriage for the singer. The duo's nuptial lasted over 12 years. Dishing on his third failed attempt at marriage, Kenny said the first nine years with Anderson was "as good as it gets." The singer's busy schedule and laser-focus ambition eventually ended their marriage.  

Rogers married his fourth wife, Marianne Gordon, in 1977. Following in his previous pattern, the Hall of Fame inductee had again delved into another marriage just a year after his divorce. The fourth try may not have been a charm but it was a big accomplishment on Kenny's part as it lasted more than two decades. 

Rogers' fourth wife, actress Gordon, explained how her relationship with the singer evolved as he grew older. "I always felt his total focus was on me," she shared, adding, "I think that when he turned 50, I didn’t have his full attention anymore." The former enduring couple finalized their divorce in 1993, and for the first time ever, Rogers refrain from nuptials for more than a year. 

Kenny Rogers' Final Marriage!  

The country crooner was married to his fifth wife, Wanda Miller, at the time of his death. After his fourth divorce, Kenny's maintained his divorcee status for a while before starting a new relationship. The Daytime Friends singer was back in the dating game and on a blind date with another woman when he came across Miller.   

It was love at first sight for Rogers, who then made consistent persuasion to get a hold of Miller. The duo's fate-filled encounter soon turned into a romantic journey. Rogers and Wanda, 28 years his junior, tied the knot in 1997. The couple welcomed twin boys, making Rogers a father to five, during their decade-long marriage.  

Rogers had previously blamed his ambitions and career-focused mentality as the factors for his failed relationships. But with the singer having reached and crossed the pinnacle of his profession, it no longer entailed a problem in his fifth marriage. Rogers would often speak delightfully of his wife and their family. 

"I know as well as anybody else how that time gets away from you. And I don't want to miss it," Kenny said while explaining his priority shifting from work to family. He added,  "I just worry about how much longer I'm going to be here, and I want to have time to spend with them." 

Kenny Rogers' Brood of Five! 

Rogers' surviving family also includes his five grown kids. The singer may not have been the best father to his oldest-born kids but towards the end of his career. Rogers retired from his singing career in 2015 and dedicated his life to being a family man and doting father.   

Admitting to being a selfish father in pursuit of fame, Rogers pledged to make amends. The Gambler crooner's oldest born, Carole, who he welcomed with his first wife, Janice, remains an oblivious name in the music industry. Rogers once revealed that he and Janice agreed to keep their daughter estranged from him after Janice's second husband decided to adopt Carole.  

Kenny's second kid, Kenny Rogers Jr., was born to him and his third wife, Anderson. Rogers Jr. spent much of his childhood and early adulthood with his mom after his parent's divorce. The country crooner once said that he wishes his relationship with his son was better. Kenny is an actor and composer.    

The singer shared his youngest sons, twins Jordan, and Justin, with Miller! 

The late singer's third kid, Christopher, born to his fourth wife, Gordon, is an actor and director. Unlike his strained relationship with his two oldest, Rogers played a better father to Christopher and shared a close bond with him. Kenny's youngest two, twins Jordan, and Justin, were undoubtedly the apple of his eye.  

The Share Your Love hitmaker would often gush about his little duos, who are now looked after by his surviving wife, Miller. "Boy, has it ever changed my life," Kenny said while talking about his twins. Rogers even let his twins accompany him on his Farewell Tour. The twins graduated from high school earlier this month.  

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