American singer and actor, Kenny Rogers, has died from natural causes, his family has announced.
He was 81.
His family announced in a statement on Saturday that the three-time Grammy winner “passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.”
Due to the global coronavirus emergency, the family is planning a small private service at this time with a public memorial planned for a later date.
Rogers topped pop and country charts during the 1970s and 1980s with hits like ‘The Gambler’, ‘Lady’, ‘Lucille’ and ‘Coward of the County’.
He and his close friend, Dolly Parton, had a smash hit in 1983 with ‘Islands in the Stream’.
His career spanned more than six decades.
He once summed up his popularity by explaining that he believed his songs “say what every man wants to say and that every woman wants to hear”.
Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and, that same year, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association.
In their statement, his family said he “left an indelible mark on the history of American music”.
Rogers also had success as an actor.
His 1982 movie Six Pack, in which he played a race-car driver, took more than $20 million at the United States box office, while made-for-TV movies such as The Gambler series, Christmas in America and Coward of the County (based on his hit songs) topped rating lists.
He also served as host & narrator for the A&E historical series The Real West.
A keen businessman, Rogers also led several ventures over the years, mainly in property and the restaurant sector.
He was married five times and had five children.
