Kenny Rogers Sacrificed Career to Raise Twin Boys Who at 19 Looked 'Just Like Dad'

Publish date: 2024-05-18

Kenny Rogers | Kenny Rogers and his youngest sons, Justin and Jordan | Source: Getty Images

Kenny Rogers and his wife, Wanda Miller, shared a significant age gap, but that didn't stop them from wanting to start their own family. The couple completed their family with beautiful twins before Rogers' death.

The twins were only fifteen when their father passed away, but before then, he sacrificed his career to care for them as they grew up. However, he did not always want children with Wanda.

Kenny Rogers and his wife, Wanda Miller, at the 22nd Annual American Music Awards on January 30, 1995 | Source: Getty Images

Rogers and Wanda met when she was hostessing at a restaurant where Rogers was dining. Rogers planned to meet a woman at the restaurant for a blind date, but he found himself more interested in Wanda.

When he left that night, he phoned the restaurant to ask about Wanda. However, when her coworkers told her Rogers had called to ask about her, she didn't believe them and was sure they were pranking her.

Eventually, Wanda's coworkers persuaded her to call Rogers back, and their love story began then. On June 1, 1997, Wanda and Rogers tied the knot on his Georgia ranch, surrounded by their loved ones. Once talking about Wanda, Rogers gushed:

"She is truly my soul mate. She knows me better than anyone has ever known me before."

Kenny Rogers and Wanda Miller attend the The 36th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards | Source: Getty Images

When talking about their age gap, Rogers openly shared that Wanda's parents were two years younger than him, and they were not in the least pleased about the relationship. However, Rogers assured them he would never lie to them or Wanda, and they soon became good friends.

Before the pair married, Rogers clarified that he didn't want any more children. He was happy with his children and was not keen on becoming a father again. Wanda agreed with him and said she didn't want children either.

Wanda Miller and Kenny Rogers backstage at the Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years Show | Source: Getty Images

Rogers told Wanda that she might change her mind when she got older, and her body changed a little, but she assured him that she would never change her mind about not becoming a mother.

How Did Rogers and Wanda Welcome Twins?

Rogers warned Wanda that when she turned 30, she might change her mind about motherhood. Her 30th birthday came and went without her asking for a child. However, when she turned 31, she asked Rogers if they could have a child.

The singer admitted he didn't want his wife to wake up one day and resent marrying him because she could have had children with someone else, so after some serious soul-searching, he agreed to have children with her.

The couple soon began trying for a baby, and when they found out they would be having twin boys, they were "thrilled." Yet Rogers also had other concerns surrounding his age and his children.

Rogers found it challenging to accept that, as an older parent, he might never see his children go off to college, celebrate their 21st birthdays, or marry the loves of their lives. It saddened him to hear others talk about experiencing these things with their children, too.

The singer admitted that was why he didn't want any more children but said it was a blessing to have them because they had brought so much joy into his life at such a late stage.

Rogers confirmed that his twins had also brought him and his wife even closer than they were before, and he admitted:

"And I think being a father is what I'm best at."

He also believed his wife was a sensational mother, and their sons were lucky to have her. Rogers also thought he was as fortunate to have his wife as his sons were to have her as their mother.

In 2016, Rogers announced that his next tour would be his last and gave a wholesome reason why he would give up his career. When he announced his retirement, Rogers hoped his fans would understand that he was a father and husband first and a singer second.

Rogers didn't want to let time get away from him and was afraid that being on tour was doing precisely that. He knew he didn't have much longer with his children and wanted to make the most of every second he had.

He embarked on his final tour, "The Gambler's Last Deal," which allowed him to celebrate his almost 60-year-long career with his fans. He even took his children along with him and said:

"My goal is to spend some time with them and take them to some places they might not have gone to without me. So they can look back someday and say, 'My dad took me there.' That, to me, is my legacy to them."

While he took his sons on some tours, he didn't take them to each destination. Instead, he took them to some of the more unique places, like countries in Asia and the U.K.

How Do Kenny's Twins Live and Look After Losing Their Dad at 15?

Unfortunately, not long after he went on his final tour, Rogers passed away at his home in Georgia. He was 81 and died of natural causes in March 2020. His twin boys were only fifteen then.

Now, his family is managing his Instagram page, and they shared that his boys had graduated high school. The photo was of the boys in their graduation capes and caps as they smiled at the camera.

Soon after the photo was posted, Rogers' fans began commenting, congratulating the boys, and talking about their appearance. One fan thought the boys, Justin and Jordan, looked like their father.

A comment left on an Instagram post about Kenny Rogers' sons graduating high school in 2023 | Source: Facebook.com/KennyRogersOfficial

A comment left on an Instagram post about Kenny Rogers' sons graduating high school in 2023 | Source: instagram.com/_kennyrogers/

A comment left on an Instagram post about Kenny Rogers' sons graduating high school in 2023 | Source: instagram.com/_kennyrogers/

Another assured the boys that their father watched them with love and pride. The same photo, posted on Facebook, received similar comments from fans about how much the boys looked like their father. They also received comments saying their father was smiling down on them. Congratulations to Justin and Jordan on their achievement!

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