Kenny Rogers’ wife Wanda was his soulmate. But his love life before that was pretty scandalous. He was married four times before meeting her. The story of how Kenny met Wanda is shocking enough. But you won’t believe what Wanda is up to now, since he passed away.
This is the real truth about what happened to Wanda and who she is with now. Kenny revealed decades ago that he really loved every one of his five wives. But he described his legendary music career as his mistress. With his first four wives, music always kept him away from home.
After Kenny’s fourth divorce, he didn’t really want to date, but he agreed to go on a date with someone a friend had introduced him to. If you think that Kenny’s date was Wanda, this is really going to shock you. Because Kenny knew as soon as he met his blind date that he wasn’t attracted to her.
Someone else caught Kenny’s eye during his dinner date. She was the hostess at the Italian restaurant where they were eating — and that hostess was Wanda. Kenny later admitted his side of this story, and it’s unbelievable…He said he was chatting casually with his date, but he knew there was no spark.
How Kenny Rogers Met His Wife Wanda
When Wanda walked up to their table, Kenny revealed something crazy: He wasn’t even sure if Wanda looked at him or even knew who he was. But the minute that Wanda smiled, Kenny said it rocked him to his core.
At least Kenny played the gentleman that night. He didn’t approach Wanda during his date because he didn’t want to hurt the woman he was with, After he dropped the other woman off, Kenny knew he had to find out who Wanda was, so he asked his friend Charlie to get the details on the young hostess from the restaurant’s manager.
But when Kenny found out just how young Wanda was, he almost declined a meeting. Charlie told Kenny that Wanda was just 21 years old. At that time, Kenny was 54 years old. He knew that Wanda was too young, but later, Kenny made another discovery. Wanda was actually 26 years old.
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That’s still almost three decades younger than Kenny, but he decided to ask Wanda out anyway. They dated for six months, but Wanda was keeping something hidden. Because Wanda didn’t tell her parents that she was dating Kenny, when they found out about her much older boyfriend, they were not happy.
Her parents were two years younger than Kenny. It took months for them to accept that Kenny was dating Wanda. But everything did end up working out for the couple. They got married on June 1, 1997, at Kenny’s ranch in Athens, Georgia.
Kenny was married to Wanda for the longest of all of his wives. Wanda and Kenny had two children. Their twin boys, Justin and Jordan, were born in July 2004. Wanda was by Kenny’s side when he passed away on March 20, 2020. Years earlier, Kenny had been interviewed by a newspaper in the UK.
Kenny Called Wanda His Soulmate
He revealed intimate details about his final marriage. Kenny told the newspaper that Wanda was his soulmate. He said that she knew him better than anyone ever knew him before. He also admitted he wasn’t selfish or insensitive with Wanda like he may have been in the past with his other wives.
For Kenny, it was the small things in life that mattered to him the most. He said it wasn’t about him anymore: his day-to-day life was all about Wanda and their kids. Several years before Kenny passed away in 2020, he was getting weaker due to serious illnesses.
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And he said something shocking to Wanda, which was quite possibly the least selfish thing that Kenny ever did. He told Wanda he wanted her to find love again after he was gone and gave her his blessing.
Wanda was shocked and in no frame of mind to consider what life would be like for her after Kenny. She revealed that intimate moment with her late husband in an interview with People magazine. She recalled the moment it happened, and how she reacted to what Kenny said.
Wanda said that Kenny loved to watch TV, but one day, several years before he passed, he shocked her by pressing pause on the TV remote. He didn’t do that too much, so Wanda knew that Kenny wanted to talk to her about something important.
Kenny Wanted Wanda to Be Happy and Find Love Again
And what Kenny said made Wanda’s world come crashing down. He told Wanda what she unfortunately already knew: that he was not going to be alive forever. He also said that he wanted her to be happy. She was young, and he wanted her to have a full life after his passing.
Wanda told Kenny that she didn’t want to talk about it, and she told him to turn the TV back on. But she never forgot that day. Still, it took her three long years after Kenny’s passing to finally take the step.
She revealed to People that she wasn’t just moving on for herself. Wanda said that Kenny also wanted her to move on for the sake of their twins. She added that it’s a big thing to show her sons that life goes on. She also knows it takes a really big man to say those things to his wife and mean it.
Wanda said that shows the kind of guy that Kenny was. And when the time finally came for Wanda to move on, there seemed to be another shocking sign from Kenny, because Wanda met her current partner through one of Kenny’s friend.
Shockingly, this friend of Kenny’s had dated Wanda’s sister years ago. Kenny’s friend didn’t push Wanda into dating someone new either. He just told Wanda that he had a new friend for her, and if Wanda and this man didn’t date, they would definitely be friends forever.
She met the new man, and they did become friends first. But their friendship grew into much more. Wanda shared that she noticed that her current partner shared a lot of traits in common with Kenny, including a sense of leadership, and positive energy.
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So Wanda’s current partner reminds her of Kenny, and she doesn’t think it’s a coincidence. Some of Wanda’s friends also believe something crazy. They agree with Wanda that it feels like Kenny is a part of this somehow. But Wanda said her current partner wanted her sons to know something important.
He told them that he could never take Kenny’s place, but he was there to be their friend forever. Wanda knows that her current partner has big shoes to fill, but she’s thankful for this new relationship because of how easy and special it is — and being in love again doesn’t mean that Wanda is slowly forgetting Kenny.
If anything, her love for her late husband continues to grow. Wanda revealed to People how Kenny spent his last day on Earth, and the shocking thing that her son Justin told her after Kenny passed away. Kenny’s final day was spent watching movies and eating his favorite thing: vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Wanda recorded these moments in a journal and admitted that she still gets choked up when she reads it back. The morning after Kenny’s passing, Wanda said that Justin wanted to talk to her. She feared that Justin would be sad or scared that Kenny had passed away at home.
Wanda Keeps Kenny’s Memory Alive
So what Justin said to her was shocking: Her son told Wanda that Kenny’s sweet spirit would be in their home forever. “High five to that… yes, absolutely it will,” she answered. Wanda encourages her twin boys to talk about Kenny a lot.
As a family, they share stories and memories, and Wanda said that makes it feel like Kenny is still with them all the time. She also admitted something crazy that happens in public. Sometimes, when she and the boys go grocery shopping, or to a restaurant or hotel, one of Kenny’s many hit songs will start to play in the background.
Wanda calls that a pleasant surprise. She also believes she gets signs from Kenny in nature. She said there are little red birds around their home, and sometimes, when she and her sons are talking about Kenny, one of the little birds will land on the window sill and look inside at them.
One thing is for sure: Kenny definitely gave Wanda his blessing — and she’s bravely moving on with her life.
