Democracy Dies in Darkness

Kenny Rogers, pop-country singer of ‘The Gambler’ who dominated 1970s music charts, dies at 81

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March 21, 2020 at 4:16 a.m. EDT
Country music singer Kenny Rogers, whose career stretched back to the 1950s, died late on March 20. He was 81 years old. (Video: Reuters)

Kenny Rogers, a grizzled, raspy-voiced country-pop crooner who specialized in narrative-driven ballads such as “Lucille” and “The Gambler,” the latter of which sent its life-as-a-card-game refrain echoing through popular culture, died March 20 at his home in Sandy Springs, Ga. He was 81.

A representative confirmed the death to the Associated Press but did not cite a cause. Mr. Rogers’s seven-decade career — which included stardom in “The Gambler” TV films and co-ownership of a fast-food chicken franchise — wound down in 2017 as he encountered health problems that included a diagnosis of bladder cancer.