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Kenny Rogers Says 23-Year Marriage With Wanda Miller Was ‘the Most Rewarding’ in Final Interview

Updated

6 years ago

March 31, 2020

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock (6215735m) Kenny Rogers, Wanda Rogers Kenny Rogers and his wife, Wanda, pose in the Country Music Hall of Fame, in Nashville, Tenn. Rogers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Bobby Bare and Jack Clement Music Country Hall of Fame, Nashville, USA

Before Kenny Rogers got married to his fifth and final wife, Wanda Miller, he was wed to Janice Gordon from 1958 to 1960, Jean Rogers from 1960 to 1963, Margo Anderson from 1964 to 1976 and Marianne Gordon from 1977 to 1993. However, in his final interview with Closer Weekly, the country singer said none of those relationships could compare to what he had with Wanda.

“I think the years with Wanda have been the most rewarding. That’s no offense to any of the other people I was married to. I just think I wasn’t ready before,” Kenny said. “I’ve had a lot of things in my life. I’ve made loads of money and had the biggest and best of everything, but now I’m back to looking at the small things that matter: my boys. Wanda. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about them.”

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During his 23-year marriage with Wanda, Kenny and his soulmate welcomed two twin boys, Justin and Jordan, both 14. Although Kenny was already a proud dad to his three older kids — Carole, 61, Christopher, 38, and Kenny Jr., 55 — from previous relationships, he still gave Justin and Jordan everything he could.

“With Kenny, what you saw is what you got,” Marianne, Chris’ mother, exclusively recalled to Closer. “He was very easygoing and had a smile every day.” Marianne and “The Gambler” singer got along very well. The only thing she didn’t like about being married to him was that he was always working. “A father on the road is never as good as a father who comes home every night,” she said.

However, the pair remained friends until the end. Even though the country crooner died on March 20 from natural causes, his legacy lives on in his kids and those he touched through his music.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (9213928a) Kenny Rogers, winner of the Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award, poses backstage at the 47th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Rogers said he is retiring from touring and will do one last worldwide farewell tour after five decades on the road. Rogers, 77, said in a video message on his website that he wants to spend more time with his two young sons and his wife, Wanda People Kenny Rogers, Nashville, USA - 6 Nov 2013 Shutterstock

“There’s no question, I will miss the crowds and the people who have always been so sweet to me,” Kenny revealed. “I’ll also miss the friendships I’ve made. But my life, you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

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