More than three years ago country legend Kenny Rogers died, but it’s only been recently that his widow, Wanda Rogers, has spoken out about his death and what life has been like since he left this world.
Wanda, 56, recently sat down with People discussing how she handled the grief of her husband’s passing and the conversation the two had shortly before he died.
“I miss his love, his support. I miss his touch. I miss everything about him. I wish we could have that one last conversation just to say, ‘Are you good? Are you OK?'”
Kenny Rogers died at his home in March 2020 at the age of 81 from natural causes, according to his family.
Wanda acknowledged that losing Kenny at home provided a sense of comfort to her and the couple’s sons.
“With him passing away at home, you don’t know how it affects kids. And Justin said the next morning, ‘Mom, one thing about dad passing away at home…’ And I thought, ‘Uh-oh.’ And he said, ‘His sweet spirit will be here forever.’ And I was like, ‘High five to that. Yes, absolutely it will.'”
Leading up to his death, Kenny made sure his wife of 30 years knew it was okay to move on.
“He said, ‘I’m not going to be here forever. I want you to be happy,’” Wanda told People. “‘You’re young. I want you to have a full life past me.’ And of course I was like, ‘What? I don’t want to talk about that. Turn the TV back on.’”
The “Gambler” singer also wanted his sons Justin and Jordan it’s okay to continue living life after a loved one dies.
“One of the big things is to show the boys that life goes on. And it does — I’m dating someone very special,” Wanda said. “Kenny gave me his very best and he wanted me to move on and be happy. That’s a really big man to be able to say those words and mean it. I think it just shows the kind of guy he was.”
In June, a carefully curated album of never-released songs from the country legend was posthumously released.
“I think Kenny would be beyond happy and proud of the album. Kenny’s whole thing was he always wanted to say in a song what every man wanted to say and every woman wanted to hear. I think this would fall right into that category,” Wanda said of the album.
When times get tough and reading through the journal entries she made during Kenny’s final days aren’t enough, she’s able to turn to Lionel Richie support.
Even though years have passed since Kenny’s death, Richie, the country legend’s longtime friend, has continued to call Wanda every 10 days to check in.
“When things are tough, you know who your real friends are. And I think he knew,” she said. “[Lionel] is truly Kenny’s brother. He definitely just wants to make sure that I’m always OK and the boys are OK. He just has the biggest heart.”
READ MORE:
- Late country star Kenny Rogers’ twin sons Justin and Jordan are all grown up
- Kenny Rogers’ last months before passing
It’s hard to move on after a loved one’s death, but to know they gave you their blessing certainly makes things a little easier.
