Kenny Rogers leaves the world a bit poorer

Somewhere in the darkness, that gambler he broke even … and the world was a little bit poorer this weekend for the loss of singing legend Kenny Rogers, who died peacefully at the age of 81.

Massaging the words from his signature song The Gambler (actually written by Don Schlitz in 1976), there was time enough for counting now that the dealing’s done for Rogers.

Always modest, he never considered himself a great singer, although, as he told the Irish Examiner in 2013, he believed he had “a certain way as a storyteller”.

“I’ve been very lucky in finding many great songs that have had a staying power, and have lingered longer in the heart.”

For many “baby boomers” – those born between 1946 and 1964 – a Kenny Rogers song often played as the backtrack to their romances and broken hearts.

In his words, his ballads “say what every man would like to say and what every woman wants to hear…”

In today’s times, he would be criticised for being cheesy or politically correct and perhaps Kenny Rogers and his music belong to a different era.

But that might have been an era when things were slower, people were nicer and love was stronger…

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.