Stars Share Their Personal Memories Of Kenny Rogers

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As we previously told you, Kenny Rogers passed away Friday, and now some of his friends are opening up to “People” about the real Kenny the knew and loved.

• “He was an incredible gift to the world through his decades-long career,” Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott shares. “Our family got to know his generosity, his kindness and his brilliance first-hand.” She shares that Lady A got to open for him in Switzerland, adding that he “opened so many doors for us on tour in Europe.”

• Tim McGraw shares a story of Kenny joining him on stage during the "Soul2Soul" tour in Atlanta in 2007, noting that he had to be rolled onto the stage in a laundry hamper. Tim says, “Kenny was game to take the ride!," adding, “We sang ‘She Believes In Me.’ I started the song and Kenny came up out from under the stage on a lift. It was just an incredible moment. And one I’ll never forget.” 

• Sheena Easton, who recorded "We've Got Tonight," with Kenny, noted, “It was a privilege to work with Kenny. His voice was unique and his talent made every note seem effortless,” adding, “I learned so much just watching him work and I will be forever grateful that he touched my life and made it better.”

• Reba McEntire recalls Kenny offering her a role in his “Gambler” movie, which happened right after a plane crash killed eight members of her band. She notes, “That probably saved my life, my sanity and my marriage because it took my mind off the crash and losing all my friends,” adding, “I had a wonderful time working with Kenny.” She also shared, “he was the best joke teller! What a great man, great entertainer, great family man and a great friend.” 

• “Kenny Rogers was a sweetheart of a soul, effortlessly happy, genuinely kind, a lover of entertaining and truly inspiring,” Jessica Simpson shares. “I believed that he is sailing away to another world right now blessing the heavens, as he blessed all of us, with his voice and his heart.” 

• ONE MORE THING! Fans are revisiting Kenny’s music now that he’s gone. According to Nielsen his catalog of songs saw a 1,687% increase of on-demand streams on March 21 and 22, following his death. Overall, his music saw eight million streams on March 21 and 22, up from one million on March 19 and 20. His albums surged 7,709%, with “The Best of Kenny Rogers: Through the Years” seeing the largest increase. As for singles, “The Gambler” saw a 12,671% increase in digital song sales and gained 1,377% in total on-demand streams.

Source: People