Country music legend Kenny Rogers passes away at 81

Los Angeles: Country music legend Kenny Rogers, who helped bring the genre into the mainstream during a career spanning six decades, has died at the age of 81, his family announced.

With hits like “The Gambler,” “Lucille” and the duet “Islands in the Stream” with Dolly Parton, the three-time Grammy winner left an indelible mark on American music.

“Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” the family said in a statement late Friday.

The family was planning a small private service “out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency.”

Tributes poured in from across the world of showbiz.

Married five times, he is survived by his wife Wanda and five children, including twin boys.