Kenny Rogers, the legendary country music icon, lived a life woven with fame, fortune, and numerous relationships.Known for his soulful voice and chart-topping hits, his personal life was equally captivating.Although Rogers married multiple times and fathered five children, it took years before he found his true love, one that would last until his death at the age of 81.Throughout his life, Rogers was married five times. Despite the failure of his earlier marriages, he always claimed to have loved each of his wives deeply at the time of their unions.However, he admitted that music often took priority over his relationships. In reflecting on his previous marriages, Rogers revealed that music was his “mistress,” a passion so powerful that it hindered his ability to fully commit to his family.
“My music always came first,” Rogers confessed, acknowledging that while he loved his wives and children, his career ambitions often drove a wedge between them. He took full responsibility for the breakdowns of his marriages, exonerating his former partners of any blame.Rogers became a husband for the first time at the young age of 19, when he married Janice Gordon. Their marriage followed the birth of their daughter, and while the two tied the knot in hopes of proving their love to her parents, the union ended just two years later. Rogers distanced himself from his daughter after the split, allowing Gordon’s second husband to take on the role of father.Without much delay, Rogers married his second wife, Jean Rogers, the same year his first marriage ended. However, their relationship quickly soured, and they parted ways after just three years.