Kenny Rogers: Struggling Star’s Brave Farewell
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Kenny Rogers is bidding a brave adieu to showbiz — and it took a shining moment in his career to convince him the time has come!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
“I swore that I would do this until I embarrassed myself,” declared 78-year-old Kenny, who’s now on a farewell tour, playing two dozen shows in the U.S. and Canada until November. “I can’t keep doing this. I have no intention of coming back.” The decision coincides with Kenny’s appearance at a gala for “The Nation We Build Together,” a new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History that houses the Star-Spangled Banner — the actual flag that inspired our national anthem.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
As Kenny sang his own rousing “ ’Merica,” it was as stirring for him as it was for the crowd. Clearly Kenny wants to go out on a high note! The singer has been battling health problems for some time. A skin cancer survivor, he “lives in terror of getting melanoma, a much more aggressive form of the disease,” revealed a source. He’s also dealt with hepatitis C, has had surgeries on his knee, shoulder and throat, and suffers excruciating back pain. “Sometimes it’s hard for him to even get up on stage,” confided the friend.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Fans can attest to the entertainer’s agony. “He was moving rather slow and his voice wasn’t as strong as it used to be,” a concert-goer at a show last October says. At a more recent performance, Kenny showed “noticeably tentative movement,” according to one eyewitness. “I think they took the wrong knee!” Kenny cracked at one point. Yet while he claims to have “found some new humor,” he knows his physical condition is no joke. “My mobility is really driving me crazy,” he admits.
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As he comes to terms with retirement, Kenny’s been speaking openly about the excesses of his younger days, which included dabbling in drugs. “I thought I was never gonna get over it!” Kenny says of an LSD experience. “The first eight hours were the most incredible eight hours of my life. The second eight hours I wasn’t sure about, and the third eight hours scared me to death!”
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Photo credit: WireImage
Kenny’s unrestrained libido also got him into considerable trouble. There was his divorce after 16 years with fourth wife Marianne Gordon, which set him back $60 million. And he was sued by two women who claimed he attempted to have “phone sex” with them on a private toll-free line he’d set up.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Finally, while he denied having an affair with Dolly Parton, he admitted, “We just teased each other and flirted with each other for 30 years!” With his wild oats behind him (and fifth wife Wanda at his side), Kenny aims to make a graceful exit and enjoy this phase of his life as best he can. “I’m not sure how many more years I’ve got,” he said. As he memorably sang in his hit “The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers knows “when to fold ’em,” and is doing just that!
Kenny Rogers is bidding a brave adieu to showbiz — and it took a shining moment in his career to convince him the time has come!
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I swore that I would do this until I embarrassed myself,” declared 78-year-old Kenny, who’s now on a farewell tour, playing two dozen shows in the U.S. and Canada until November. “I can’t keep doing this. I have no intention of coming back.” The decision coincides with Kenny’s appearance at a gala for “The Nation We Build Together,” a new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History that houses the Star-Spangled Banner — the actual flag that inspired our national anthem.
Photo credit: Getty Images
As Kenny sang his own rousing “ ’Merica,” it was as stirring for him as it was for the crowd. Clearly Kenny wants to go out on a high note! The singer has been battling health problems for some time. A skin cancer survivor, he “lives in terror of getting melanoma, a much more aggressive form of the disease,” revealed a source. He’s also dealt with hepatitis C, has had surgeries on his knee, shoulder and throat, and suffers excruciating back pain. “Sometimes it’s hard for him to even get up on stage,” confided the friend.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Fans can attest to the entertainer’s agony. “He was moving rather slow and his voice wasn’t as strong as it used to be,” a concert-goer at a show last October says. At a more recent performance, Kenny showed “noticeably tentative movement,” according to one eyewitness. “I think they took the wrong knee!” Kenny cracked at one point. Yet while he claims to have “found some new humor,” he knows his physical condition is no joke. “My mobility is really driving me crazy,” he admits.
Photo credit: Getty Images
As he comes to terms with retirement, Kenny’s been speaking openly about the excesses of his younger days, which included dabbling in drugs. “I thought I was never gonna get over it!” Kenny says of an LSD experience. “The first eight hours were the most incredible eight hours of my life. The second eight hours I wasn’t sure about, and the third eight hours scared me to death!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Kenny’s unrestrained libido also got him into considerable trouble. There was his divorce after 16 years with fourth wife Marianne Gordon, which set him back $60 million. And he was sued by two women who claimed he attempted to have “phone sex” with them on a private toll-free line he’d set up.
Photo credit: WireImage
Finally, while he denied having an affair with Dolly Parton, he admitted, “We just teased each other and flirted with each other for 30 years!” With his wild oats behind him (and fifth wife Wanda at his side), Kenny aims to make a graceful exit and enjoy this phase of his life as best he can. “I’m not sure how many more years I’ve got,” he said. As he memorably sang in his hit “The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers knows “when to fold ’em,” and is doing just that!
Photo credit: Getty Images
