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While watching CMT Giants Kenny Rogers: A Benefit for MusiCares, the tribute for legendary singer Kenny Rogers, some fans might remember that the country music star was married five times. Each marriage lasted longer than the previous, and he once said that he truly loved each woman when he married her. He had been was with his last wife, Wanda Miller, since 1997.
Rogers’ first marriage was to Janice Gordon. They were together from 1958 to 1960. His second marriage was to Jean Rogers, which lasted from October 1960 to 1963. The third time he walked down the aisle was with Margo Anderson. They said “I do” on October 1964 and called it quits in 1976. The following year, he tied the knot with Marianne Gordon. They remained husband and wife until 1993. After an expensive divorce, he waited for years before the next time he asked someone to marry him. In 1997, he happily married Wanda Miller.
Rogers died on March 20. He was was 81 years old. His cause of death was “natural causes.” His family said he was surrounded by people who loved him. “The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25PM at the age of 81. Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” they announced the day after his death.
Rogers’ Career Wasn’t Good for His Marriages
Rogers previously said that his career led him to be unsuccessful in love. “When I became driven and selfish I was so intent to follow my life that it cost me. I was gone so much from some of my marriages that there was a disconnect,” Rogers told Reuters.
“And this may seem like an absurd statement, but every woman I married, I really loved when I married her. And I don’t blame them for the marriage falling apart,” he continued. “I blame myself and my chosen field of music. That’s why I say that music is a mistress, because you can’t wait to get out there to it, and usually the mistress wins in a situation like that. That’s kind of what happened to me. Hey, you can’t say I’m afraid of commitment. I’ve been married five times.”
He once said he was addicted to women, and that was one of the reasons he wanted to get into music. The other was because of Ray Charles.
“So I decided, ‘This is what I want to do in life’ – even though I didn’t even know if I could sing! But, seriously, as a singer Ray Charles came from such an honest place emotionally, and that is what I’ve always tried to do, sing about what people know and what people care about,” he said, according to The Independent.
Rogers Openly Talked About His Marriages
Rogers revealed in his memoir Janice became pregnant with their daughter Carole the first time they had sex and they decided to get married. “You know what? I loved her. At 19 I thought, ‘This is ok with me.’ That was a thing where her parents thought I’d ruined her life and were determined to break me. It didn’t work, and it’s really sad because I think it could have worked,” he told Fox News.
As for his second wife, Jean, Rogers said they both got bored. They didn’t have any children together.
Margo Anderson was his third wife and they had a son together, Kenny. He remembered the marriage during an interview with the Independent, saying, “So then I met this girl and that was a really exciting relationship, which lasted 12 years, and out of it we had a son. In fact, the first nine years were as good as it gets, and it was only the last few that got ugly. I was touring a lot and that is part of what killed the marriage.”
Marianne Gordon was his fourth wife. They had son Christopher together. They wound up getting one of the most expensive divorces for the. time. Marrianne walked away from the marriage with $60 million in a divorce settlement.
Even though Wanda Miller was 28 years younger than him, Rogers said she was his soul mate. “She knows me better than anyone else has known me. She loves what I do and I’m not as insensitive to her needs as I may have been in the past,” he told Reuters. They had twin boys together, Justin and Jordon.
Rita Wilson, who is hosting the benefit, talked about Rogers being an icon. “His songs crossed over into many genres,” she said in a statement. “I’ll never forget the evocative angst in Kenny’s voice on ‘Ruby,’ the unmistakable hooks and his unique, authentic ability to tell a story in ‘The Gambler,’ and of course, the perfection of his duet with Dolly Parton, ‘Islands in the Stream.’
Wilson continued: “Kenny’s impact has been indelible. It’s an honor to be hosting CMT GIANTS Kenny Rogers and to share in an evening of Kenny’s songs with so many iconic artists.”
Don’t miss CMT Giants Kenny Rogers: A Benefit for MusiCares when it airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CMT.
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