Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan And Others Share Touching Tribute To Kenny Rogers

Apr 07, 2020 by apost team

In lieu of the ACM Awards, which were scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada last Sunday, a music special titled ACM Presents: Our Country was streamed across the United States. Making the special even more touching, was a segment that honored the late country music star Kenny Rogers, in which musicians including Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, and others all performed from the safety of their home in tribute to Rogers.

Following the postponement of the awards to September this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the special ACM Presents: Our Country, served to bring Americans together through music, while also honoring a legend of the country genre. Gayle King hosted the event, while country music musicians such as Shania Twain, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, and others performed. 

The performances that specifically honored Kenny Rogers included a beautiful duet from Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker, who performed together through video, with each at their own home. They first sang Rogers' song Lucille, before finishing with The Gambler. Rucker also added that Rogers was "the reason I'm sittin' here."

Luke Bryan then sang his cover of one of Rogers' songs, performing the emotional track Coward of the County. He gave a warm send off, stating: "We love you Kenny. Thank you so much for all your musical contributions. I love you, buddy."

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Finally, King introduced Lionel Richie, who shared some sweet words about their friendship, which started in 1980 when Richie wrote Rogers' hit single Lady. He told the viewers:

"What started out to be a great collaboration between two guys, Kenny Rogers and myself, ended up giving me a surprise. Not only did we have a hit record, but I found one of the greatest friends I ever had in my whole life. The loss of him is tremendous on my heart."

He continued:

"We lived so much life together, and tonight I want to celebrate his life. And I want to say to all of his fans: He enjoyed the ride. Let us celebrate his life, his legacy, and more importantly, the music. God bless you, Kenny. God bless your family. I love you very much."

The tribute then ended with a recording of a live performance from 2012, when Richie and Rogers sang Lady together at the ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends - In Concert TV special.

Rogers passed away on March 20 of this year at the age of 81, due to natural causes, his family shared on the star's website and social media channels. Not only was he an incredible musician but his six-decade-long legacy and mark on country music are indelible.

His family stated that they would honor Rogers in a small private ceremony for the time being, but would celebrate Kenny's life publicly with friends and fans at a later date, after the pandemic subsided.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, King spoke about the Our Country special, and how she believes country musicians are some of the "kindest, most humble, nicest, most generous" people. She also discussed the pandemic, stating "we're all in this together. You hear it so much it almost becomes cliché, but it's not, because not only are we all in this together, we really need each other. We really do need each other to survive."

What did you think of the moving tributes to Kenny Rogers? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass on to any friends and family who are fans of his.