Dolly Parton Opens Up About Kenny Roger's Death; 'Caught Me by Surprise'

Gettyimages | Jim Steinfeldt

A few weeks ago country singer Kenny Rogers sadly passed away at the age of 81. The star died of natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his close family. The country world, and music world were both completely shaken by the passing.

Longtime friend and singing partner Dolly Parton opened up about his passing. The two singers were friends for years, and had recorded a multitude of different duets together including one of their biggest hits 'Islands in the Stream'.

Wikimedia | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenny_Rogers_(6880827772).jpg

In a recent (virtual) interview with the Today Show, the singer spoke about Roger's passing.

"Kenny and I have been friends for so many years. We just connected, you know how there’s some people you just feel like you’ve known all your life," told Parton to Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager from her Nashville home. "We just knew each other so well, both kinda goofy and silly, have a warm sense of humor, so we had a lot of fun times together," she continued.

Wikimedia | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kenny_Rogers_(11034296295).jpg

Parton reminisced about how their voices fused so well together; good friends, and even better singers. "Our voices really blended well and we had the same outlook on life and on things, and so we just, traveling around the world like we did for so many years, we became very, very close."

Pardon continued on to talk about her reaction to the terrible news, "When Kenny passed away, it caught me by surprise," Parton continued. "I knew he wasn’t doing well, but it was just like, I lost someone so close to me, it just broke my heart."

Gettyimages | Rick Diamond

"It just shocked me and I was very emotional about it for several days, and now I’ve kind of put it in a peaceful place, knowing that he’s at peace. My words and love go out to his children and to Wanda, his wife, and to all his fans. I’ll always miss him, but I’ll always treasure what we had together." said Parton in an optimistic, but sad note to end things off. Roger's passing effected many people in the music world, with hundreds of singers paying tribute.

Dolly Parton | Instagram

In a more personalized note, Parton posted a video on Instagram talking about her thoughts:

"I know that we all know Kenny's in a better place than we are today, but I'm sure he's going to be talking to God sometime today, if he ain't already, and he's gonna be asking Him to spread some light onto this darkness going on here," she said. "I loved Kenny with all my heart, and my heart's broken."

We look back on Roger's amazing career, and we say condolences to the Roger's Family.