Kenny Rogers may have passed away in 2020, but his golden legacy lives on in his twin sons Justin and Jordan, who celebrated their 21st birthday on July 6.
The legendary country singer welcomed his youngest children with his wife Wanda Miller in 2004 and shared a close bond with the boys until the very end.
Milestone celebration
Kenny’s team took to Instagram to pay tribute to Justin and Jordan on their special day, sharing a photo of the pair sitting at a table in front of two large chocolate cakes with their mother looking on in the background.
“It’s virtually impossible to believe, but Kenny & Wanda’s wonderful young men, Justin & Jordan, celebrated the Big 21 yesterday!” the caption read. “Please join us in wishing them an incredible year and long, healthy, prosperous lives for decades to come!”
The boys looked so grown up in the photo, thanks to their ample facial hair and broad smiles.
© Getty ImagesKenny’s fans rushed to the comments to share their well wishes on the special day, and exclaimed just how much the twins have grown to resemble their late father.
“Happy Birthday! You look so much like your dad!” one fan wrote, while another added, “Happy birthday to you both. You look so much like your father.”
“Happy birthday boys….young men…your dad would be so proud,” another declared, while a fourth said, “You both are really handsome young men. Your dad is smiling down and so proud of you both.”
A blended family
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyKenny was a father of five, and welcomed Carole, 66, with Janice Gordon, Kenny Jr., 61, with Margo Anderson, and Christopher, 43, with Marianne Gordon, as well as the twins with Wanda.
Speaking to The Independent in 2006, “The Gambler” singer revealed that he and Wanda had originally agreed that they wouldn’t have children as he already felt fulfilled as a father.
“Actually, before we married my position was, ‘Been there, done that,’ so I told her, ‘I don’t want any more kids,’ and she said, ‘I don’t either,'” he recalled.
© WireImage“But Wanda hadn’t had any kids, so I said, ‘That may be your choice now, but when you turn 30, your body is going to say, Have a baby now or miss it forever,’ and she said, ‘Not me.'”
Eventually, Wanda decided that she did want a child, and Kenny was convinced after some “soul-searching”.
“So we went for it, and when I was told it was twins, man, I was thrilled,” he told the outlet. “So was Wanda. It wasn’t just, ‘We are going to have a baby.’ It was totally overwhelming.”
A golden legacy
© WireImageKenny was a doting dad before he passed away on March 20, 2020, surrounded by family.
They announced his death the following day in an emotional statement, writing: “The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25 p.m. at the age of 81. Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.”
“The family is planning a small private service at this time out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency. They look forward to celebrating Kenny’s life publicly with his friends and fans at a later date,” they added.
© Getty ImagesAs tributes poured in for Kenny, his close friend and collaborator Dolly Parton shared a touching message farewelling the star.
“I know that we all know that Kenny’s in a better place than we are today, but I’m for sure he’s going to be talking to God sometime today if he ain’t already, and going to be asking him to spread some light onto this darkness going on here,” she said in an Instagram video.
“But I loved Kenny with all my heart ,and my heart’s broken and a big ol’ chunk has gone with him today.”
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