Kenny Rogers, country-pop hitmaker and crossover star, dies at 81
Country music legend Kenny Rogers, the congenial, silver-bearded crooner of "The Gambler," "Islands in the Stream" and "Lady," has died of natural causes at age 81. Rogers' verified Twitter account announced the news in a statement late Friday.
"The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25 p.m. at the age of 81," it read. "Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family."
The musical storyteller racked up an impressive catalog of hits - initially as a member of the First Edition starting in the late 1960s and later as a solo artist and duet partner with Dolly Parton - and earned three Grammy Awards, 19 nominations and a slew of accolades from country-music awards shows.
The singer-songwriter, often credited with (and sometimes criticized for) helping to blur the lines between country and pop, was belatedly inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
"I think part of it is that there's a certain amount of resentment that I made country go pop, and yet I think it actually
