Kenny Rogers, country music star, dies at 81

Kenny Rogers, the Grammy award-winning country music icon, has died aged 81.

Rogers “passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” The Guardian reports, citing a statement by representative Keith Hagan.

The singer topped the charts during the 1970s and 1980s, and won three Grammy awards. He was best known for his hit song The Gambler, released in 1978.