Country music star Dolly Parton issued a heartfelt, tearful message on Twitter following the death of her longtime friend and fellow singer Kenny Rogers, who died Friday at 81.
Rogers’s family announced in a statement that iconic singer passed away of natural causes surrounded by family in his home at 10:25 pm Friday night.
“You never know how much you love somebody until they’re gone,” Parton tweeted. “I’ve had so many wonderful years and wonderful times with my friend Kenny, but above all the music and the success I loved him as a wonderful man and a true friend.”
So you be safe with God and just know that I will always love you, dolly.
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 21, 2020
Parton, 74, included a video of her sharing more of her thoughts about Rogers’s passing and was visibly fighting back tears and choked up at moments during the clip.
“Well, I couldn’t believe it this morning when I got up and turned on the TV checking to see what the coronavirus was doing, and they told me that my friend and singing partner Kenny Rogers had passed away,” Parton told her almost 5 million Twitter followers Saturday morning.
“And I know that we all know Kenny is 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 he’s going to be asking him to spread some light on this darkness going on here,” she continued. “But I loved Kenny with all my heart, and my heart’s broken, and a big ol’ chunk of it has gone with him today, and I think that I can speak for all his family, his friends, and fans, when I say that I will always love you.”
The “I Will Always Love You” singer then lifted up a photo of her and Rogers and told all those affected by his passing to “keep the faith.”
“I just happened to have this picture when I walked out this morning of us,” she said visibly crying. “I walked out and thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll hold that up to everybody,’ so I know you’re sad as I am, but God bless you, Kenny. Fly high, straight into the arms of God. And to the rest of you, keep the faith.”
Rogers, known most notably for his smash hit The Gambler sold over 100 million records worldwide which makes him one of the most successful musical artists ever in any genre.
Parton and Rogers teamed up to produce the duet “Islands in the Stream” in 1983, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
Rogers’s family said they will hold a “small private service” and added that they plan on celebrating his life publicly with his fans at a later date due to current government recommendations to limit large gatherings amid coronavirus fears.
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