Most of us know Kenny Rogers because of his music. What we don’t know is how much he went through in his life, including being married a number of times and becoming a father to five children.
It is quite a feat to be married five different times over the span of an 81-year lifetime. He did struggle to find the right woman, as you are about to see but he would eventually find her later in his lifetime.
One of the reasons why Kenny Rogers had difficulty finding the right woman was because music was such a priority to him. He even openly admitted that it was more important than his relationships and one time called music his ‘mistress’.
He claimed that when he did have a relationship, the music would often drive a wedge between him and his wife as well as his children. Eventually, the first marriages would break down and leave him looking for love again.
When Kenny was 19, he found love for the first time in married Janice Gordon. They had a daughter prior to getting married and tied the knot to prove to their parents that they were in love. The marriage only lasted two years and he would distance himself from his daughter to allow the second husband to be the father.
Not long after divorcing Janice, he married Jean Rogers, his second wife. They were only married for three years because the relationship did not do well for them.
By the time he was married to his third wife, Margo Anderson, he almost had it down to a science. They were married for over 10 years and Kenny Junior was born during that time. Unfortunately, tension as a result of his traveling caused them to separate and they divorced.
Actress Marianne Gordon was his fourth wife whom he married in 1977. They had Chris, a son, and lasted two decades. When Rogers turned 50, he turned back to his career again and the couple was separated soon after.
That divorce from Marianne Gordon was one of the most expensive that occurred in the entertainment industry up to that time. Gordon received $60 million of the settlement, although Rogers was not better. He even said: ‘She deserves every penny.’
He went on to say that he appreciated her support during the time when his career was not going well. He went on to say: “Marianne really did deserve the $60 million because she is a great girl, and we had a perfect marriage for 15 years.”
Four years after he was divorced from Gordon, he met his fifth and final wife, Wanda Miller. Despite the fact that she was 28 years younger, they did very well together as a couple. She was the mother to their twins, Justin and Jordan and he was very happy to have them.
At first, he wondered if he really wanted additional children but when he was told they were twins, he said that he was ‘thrilled.’
They remained married until he passed away in 2020. The twins were only 15 years old at the time. He embraced raising children at an older age and love being the father and husband. It took some time for Kenny Rogers, but he finally got it right.