Blake Shelton, LeAnn Rimes & More Country Stars Mourn Kenny Rogers’ Tragic Passing

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Blake Shelton, LeAnn Rimes, and more stars took to social media to express their sadness over the passing of Kenny Rogers on Mar. 21 while calling him ‘quite the legend’ and ‘very kind’.

Kenny Rogers‘ impact was clear to see on the morning of Mar. 21, when many fellow country singers took to Twitter to tweet positive things about the legend just hours after his passing of natural causes at the age of 81. Blake Shelton, LeAnn Rimes, Travis Tritt, and more popular singers were quick to post their touching memories and impressions of the late singer in posts that seemed to bring consolation in a time of unexpected grief.

“I can’t express on twitter the impact Kenny Rogers the artist and the man had on me. He was always very kind and fun to be around. Rest In Peace Gambler…” Blake tweeted about the “The Gambler” musician. “We will miss you @_KennyRogers You are and forever will be quite the legend. #thegambler #ripkennyrogers,” LeAnn also tweeted.

“I’m very sad to learn that @_KennyRogers has passed away,” country superstar Travis, who was friends with Kenny, wrote on his Twitter above two black and white photos that showed them posing together. “Kenny was a friend who helped me in so many ways early on. He was always funny, kind and full of advice. Kenny’s legacy of great music will live on forever. My deepest condolences to Wanda & family. #RIPKennyRogers”

Jake Owen, who burst onto the country scene in 2006, also wrote sweet words about Kenny. “I woke up the news of @_KennyRogers passing. It’s not about #1s. It’s about the legacy you leave behind and he was a great man. He changed Country Music and had a voice like no other. Thank you Kenny. Thank you,” his tweet read. Josh Abbott from the Josh Abbott Band posted his own pics with Kenny and encouraged people to listen to his lesser known songs. “We don’t talk enough about how badass @_KennyRoger was. We all know ‘The Gambler’ & his duet with Dolly [Parton]; but I’d encourage you to listen to some of his other albums,” he wrote. “I love his version of ‘Tulsa Turnaround’. He didn’t write many, but damn he sang them like he did. RIP legend.”

Around the same time the younger generation of country singers started sharing their love for Kenny, Kenny’s good friend and sometimes singing partner, Dolly, also posted a video message about his passing. “I know that we all know that Kenny is in a better place than we are today and I’m pretty sure that he’s going to be talking to God sometime today,” she said in the video before breaking down into tears and showing off a framed photo of the two of them. “He’s going to be asking him to spread some light on a bunch of this darkness. I loved Kenny with all my heart. My heart’s broken. A big ol’ chunk of it has gone with him today.”