The Untold Truth Of Kenny Rogers' Wife, Wanda Miller

Country music legend Kenny Rogers died March 20, 2020 from natural causes at age 81. The hall-of-fame singer will be missed by not only his fans, but by his wife, Wanda Miller, and his five children.

Rogers was known for his close friendship with collaborator Dolly Parton, and he had four previous marriages. But his commitment to Miller lasted the longest after the two wed in 1997. When asked why his previous marriages failed, the singer told Reuters that it was because of his commitment to his music career. "When I became driven and selfish I was so intent to follow my life that it cost me. I was gone so much from some of my marriages that there was a disconnect," he said. "I blame myself and my chosen field of music. That's why I say that music is a mistress, because you can't wait to get out there to it, and usually the mistress wins in a situation like that."

Rogers and Miller had clearly found a balance that stood the test of time — they'd been married more than 22 years and had two children together before Rogers passed away. Let's take a closer look at what made Miller and her union with "The Gambler" so special. 

Kenny Rogers and Wanda Miller actually met when the singer was on a blind date... with someone else. Miller was the hostess at the restaurant, and according to the Valdosta Daily Times, the superstar later called to inquire about her. After a lot of persuasion from her coworkers, Miller said, "I called him back but I never thought I would date him."

Rogers recalled that first meeting in his 2012 autobiography Luck or Something Like It, according to Cheatsheet. Apparently he didn't feel a spark with the woman he was initially set up with, saying, "We both knew the food was great, but the relationship wasn't going anywhere." But when he saw Miller walk by the table, it changed everything.

"I'm honestly not sure she even looked at me, but I saw her," Rogers wrote of his now-wife. "I don't know what and I don't know why, but there was just something incredibly different about her from the minute I saw her. She had a smile, not a hostess smile, but something more genuine, and believe it or not, it rocked me to my core." That's the definition of "love at first sight," right?

After that fate-filled meeting, Kenny Rogers and Wanda Miller ultimately hit it off, but winning over Miller's family proved more difficult. In a 2012 interview with Fox News, the country crooner recalled a tense conversation with her parents. "They called me when we started dating and said, 'We want you to know we didn't appreciate what you're doing with our daughter,'" Rogers said, "And I said, 'First of all I don't blame you. I don't think I would either but I will make you a promise. I will never lie to her and I will never lie to you.'" The fact that Miller was about 28 years younger than Rogers — and only about two years younger than her parents — was a sticking point with his future in-laws.

That animosity changed over time. "Now they're my best friends," Rogers said of his in-laws. Rogers and Miller dated for five years before getting married, according to the Valdosta Daily Times. Their marriage thrived, and in 2004, Rogers and Miller became parents to twin boys named Justin and Jordan. Miller told the paper in 2015, "The first 12 years we were together, I went everywhere with him. Then when the kids came along, you have to prioritize." From the sound of it, they both did their best to put the boys first.

In total, Kenny Rogers had five children from his multiple marriages over the years: four sons and one daughter. His two youngest boys are the identical twins, Justin and Jordan, with wife Wanda Miller. "She is truly my soul mate. She knows me better than anyone has ever known me before," Rogers told Fox News in 2012. "She is the most phenomenal mother I have ever seen. The boys are so lucky to have her and so am I."

Just like Miller is a "phenomenal mother," Rogers prided himself on fatherhood. He told CMT in 2016, "I hope my fans understand that I'm a father first and a singer second." As a result, he wanted to spend as much time with his boys as he could, adding, "I know as well as anybody else how that time gets away from you. And I don't want to miss it. I just worry about how much longer I'm going to be here, and I want to have time to spend with them. It's pretty simple."

Sweetly enough, while the singer was being interviewed by CMT, apparently his wife, who he referred to as "honey," called just to check in. Rogers the interviewer, "I can't be mad at her." After 22 years together, that's just another testament to their strong bond.