How Long Did Kenny Rogers Have Alzheimer’s, If at All?

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by Team CrazyJackz

Some stars never really die, and that’s something that a lot of people will say about Kenny Rogers. Known as one of the biggest influencers in country music, while also topping the pop charts, Rogers was fortunate enough to sell more than 100 million records since his career started.

However, some fans were sad when he finally announced his retirement in 2015, and just five years later, he was announced dead.

But, How did Kenny Rogers die? Did Kenny Rogers have dementia? Was it due to Alzheimer’s disease? And if so, how long did he have it? If these are questions you still have about the beloved artist, then this post will help you find the answers.

The Death of Kenny Rogers and the Speculations Surrounding His Alzheimer’s

If you’ve been keeping up with news regarding Kenny Rogers, then you already know he passed away in 2020. On the 21st of March, 2020, a post was published on his official Twitter account. Only, this time, it didn’t come with any good news or something that Rogers wanted to share with his fans.

Instead, it was his family reporting his death. He had died the previous night, on the 20th of March, 2020, declared dead at exactly 10:25 pm. The only details shared in the Tweet consisted of factors like he died of natural causes and that a private memorial would be held. Now, you have to keep in mind that this was during the 2020 lockdown, so it was natural for his family to focus on keeping things private. Businesses were locked down, and people were asked to stay indoors during that time, so all of this was done in respect for the safety of his fans and friends.

However, soon after his death was announced, people quickly jumped to different conclusions. These conclusions mostly focused on why Rogers died, and there were some rumors that placed the blame on Alzheimer’s disease. Given the fact that Rogers was 81 years old at the time of his death, it wouldn’t have been too much of a surprise if there were some relation to Alzheimer’s disease, though it remains a topic of speculation.

How Long Did Kenny Rogers Have Alzheimer’s, If at All? Separating Facts from Fiction

One common question raised by fans and media outlets was the duration of Kenny Rogers’ battle with Alzheimer’s (if ever); a question that, despite widespread speculation, remains largely unanswered due to his family’s decision to keep things private.

Kenny Rogers’ health challenges became evident in 2018 when he was forced to cancel the remaining dates of his farewell tour, “The Gambler’s Last Deal.” The official statement at the time mentioned, “Kenny Rogers has been working through a series of health challenges. His doctors fully expect the outcome to be great, but they have advised him to cancel all performances through the end of the year to focus on recuperation.

As the specifics of his condition remained undisclosed, rumors started to circulate. On the other hand, his family chose to keep certain aspects of his health private, leading to a lack of clarity surrounding the duration and timeline of his battle with Alzheimer’s, if indeed that was the case. Thus, there have been numerous theories and speculations suggesting that Rogers was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018, and died of the disease in 2020. So, According to these unverified rumors, Rogers allegedly battled Alzheimer’s for a period of two years, from 2018 to 2020.

Now, something to keep in mind – the majority of the reports that linked Alzheimer’s to his death had a lot of misinformation or even false claims – particularly when you compare this data to official information that was released by family members and representatives.

Well, one thing that we do know for sure is that Rogers was actually diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years prior to his death. In 2017, his diagnosis with this cancerous disease was announced.

Following the announcement, there were cases where Rogers had to cancel his shows, even while he was on a tour. No specific details were shared related to why, apart from the fact that Rogers had been struggling with health issues for the past couple of years.

Republic Country Club via WikiCommons

Almost a year before his death, one publication reported that Rogers was doing very poorly with the bladder cancer. They even suggested that he would not make it until the end of 2019. While he did live past the end of that year, his death was announced early in 2020.

However, once again, no specific details have been announced. In terms of Alzheimer’s disease, this has not been confirmed by managers or family members. On the other hand, we are aware of the fact that Rogers had been struggling with bladder cancer. Again, we do not know the stage at which he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Thus, it’s not really possible to accurately speculate if this could have been the reason for his death, if it was Alzheimer’s disease, or if there was a natural cause that resulted in the death of this legend.

Conclusion

Due to vague reports regarding his life, many people have been speculating the specific factors that led to the death of Kenny Rogers. There have been theories that Rogers was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018, and died of the disease in 2020. However, the only official reports from family members and other representatives have talked about bladder cancer.

Amna El Tawil