Since Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers met,
they've collaborated on a series of duets and performed together on dozens of occasions.
Their undeniable chemistry has often been the subject of romance rumors,
even though the pair always denied being an item. Here's the truth about their relationship.
Long before Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers were a classic country music duo,
they were simply solo artists at the beginning of their burgeoning careers.
The pair first met in the '70s, when Parton was headlining a television show called Dolly.
As Rogers explained in his 2012 autobiography Luck or Something
Like It, he was invited to appear on Parton's show in the '70s. However,
the pair didn't exactly hit it off immediately. Rogers later recalled -
"I would like to say that we became immediate friends, but we didn't.
I was just another guest in the mix of her very busy schedule."
By the sounds of things, the iconic duo didn't really have a chance to get to know each other in
their initial meeting. As it turns out, they might have never collaborated at all if it hadn't been
for one of the Bee Gees bringing them together to sing "Islands in the Stream" much later in 1983!
The second meeting between Rogers and Parton was actually the real start to their relationship.
It all began when Rogers asked Bee Gees member Barry Gibb to produce his 1983 album. Rogers
was struggling during the recording of "Islands in the Stream." As he explained in his memoir -
"I had worked on the song with Barry for at least four days,
something I was not used to doing. I finally told him I didn't even like the song anymore."
Apparently, Gibb immediately suggested that they turn the
song into a duet by bringing in Dolly Parton.
As luck would have it, Parton happened to be in the same studio on the same day,
and Rogers described what happened next -
"She came marching into the room, and once she came in and started singing,
the song was never the same."
The duet became a massive hit,
and went on to become one of the best-known country duets of all time.
Throughout the many years of their friendship, it's fair to say that Dolly Parton and Kenny
Rogers stayed pretty close. In fact, the pair have seemingly always been as thick as thieves.
In the late '80s, Rogers made another appearance on Parton's show, Dolly, and the pair discussed
the many similarities that have helped to keep them friends for so long, with Rogers explaining -
"I think one of the things that affects a relationship when you're working with
someone is your upbringing and your background."
Rogers went on to share that both singers had been through similar struggles to
reach success in the music industry when they were young. He then added,
"I think our religious backgrounds are the same, and our family orientation is the same,
so I think it gives us a lot of common denominators to draw on for our friendship."
Rogers also called Parton a special person,
and said that she occupies a special place in his heart.
After decades of friendship and collaboration, Parton and Rogers recorded their final duet in
2013. In 2017, Rogers spoke to Southern Living about the experience of recording the song;
apparently, something slightly disturbing but incredibly touching happened in the studio.
Rogers explained how he looked up during the recording,
and noticed that Parton had left her place in the studio and had come up to his microphone.
"And She put her arms around my neck and she said, 'Kenny I think you should know,
I could never sing at your funeral.' and I went -"
Naturally, Rogers was a little taken aback by the morbid comment,
but nevertheless called the moment his favorite memory of his friend, gushing -
"I love her for that. You never know what she's going to say, but it always comes from love."
Like most country music stars, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers spent a lot of time on the
road throughout their careers. As their partnership became more and more popular,
the duo started to tour together. It was on these trips that Parton
and Rogers' friendship truly solidified. In an interview with People, Parton recalled -
"We'd eat, hang out, and we found we really liked each other."
She also shared that their respective band members all got along well together too.
"Everybody was like family. Kenny was always like a relative to me."
When Rogers appeared on Parton's show in the '80s, the two reminisced about
a recent trip to Australia. Parton recalled the time fondly and Rogers then revealed that
he tended to wake up early to take photos, while Parton would sleep in until the early afternoon.
Despite their differing schedules,
it's evident that the pair had great synergy when they were on the road!
One thing's for certain about the pair's relationship: they always had fun when they
were together. Whether they were performing live on stage, or were being filmed in rehearsals,
they were constantly laughing and teasing one another. Their unique relationship
was due in part to how comfortable they evidently felt in each other's company.
As Parton once explained, she used to take a seriously playful tone with her friend -
"I was always such a feisty little thing and I was always doing stuff backstage or onstage.
You know, pinch him on the butt or whatever."
Anyone who's seen the pair in one of their many performances or interviews can attest that
Parton's playfulness certainly shines through. Whether she's making funny gestures, play-slapping
his hand away, or bumping him with her rear end, you can tell Parton loved egging Rogers on.
It's impossible to discuss Parton and Rogers' relationship without mentioning
what made them famous: their incredible chemistry! Watching these two on stage,
you can't help but think they were born to work together. In 2012,
Rogers spoke to CBS News about what made their relationship so special for fans.
"I think what we had was a real chemistry and we loved people talking about it."
As Deseret noted in 1990, their electric chemistry during an '80s
concert was comparable to a couple that had been married for years.
"I think people just kinda have us married together. We are - in spirit
because we just love to sing together and we're great buddies, great friends."
Parton summed it up best in the "You Can't Make Old Friends" music video:
"There was just something about mine and Kenny's chemistry with each other, our friendship,
people really sensed what we really feel."
No wonder people couldn't get enough of watching these two perform together.
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' final duet was a touching,
heartfelt song about an old friendship called "You Can't Make Old Friends." In the song,
Parton and Rogers sing about what life would be like if the other was gone.
"You Can't Make Old Friends" was co-written by Don Schlitz, Ryan Hanna King, and
Caitlin Smith after Rogers asked Schlitz to write the song for him and Parton to sing.
At the end of the music video for "You Can't Make Old Friends," Rogers explained that they had
connected personally doing this duet. After all, most of their previous duets had a romantic feel,
while this final duet was about a meaningful and long friendship. Parton then added,
"We got to do this song that fits so many people and certainly fits us."
Professionally speaking, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers had a hugely successful partnership.
After their first duet, "Islands in the Stream," was released in 1983,
it reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 list, according to Billboard. They
went on to record dozens of other songs together, including "Real Love" in 1985,
which peaked at No. 13 on the charts. They even recorded a joint Christmas album in 1984.
Parton and Rogers spoke about their favorite songs from their
long career in a video interview. While they couldn't pick a specific favorite,
both agreed that "Islands in the Stream" holds the most memories for them both.
We can't say we blame them for having a hard time picking just one favorite song!
In 2017, Kenny Rogers finally said goodbye to the music industry,
giving one final tour before retirement and of course, Dolly was present for the farewell.
Apparently, Rogers was suffering from pain in his knees and other ailments during the show,
and Parton was there to support him both physically and emotionally.
It's clear that Parton was eager to give Rogers the send off he deserved,
while still teasing him as usual! Playfully saying to him -
"Kenny, of course, says he's retiring.
I want to see what condition your condition is really in. He looks good to me!"
Just looking at Rogers' loving smile as Parton speaks, it's crystal clear
that he seriously appreciated having her there for his last few shows,
a fitting end to his illustrious career. Fans of both surely wouldn't have had it any other way.
Parton and Rogers always firmly denied rumors of romance. However,
in a 2020 Closer Weekly interview, Rogers' ex-wife Marianne Gordon opened up about Parton,
sharing new details about the relationship.
Gordon and Rogers were together for 16 years, until their divorce in 1997.
Gordon explained that while there were the occasional suspicious thoughts,
she knew for the most part knew it was just a friendship and explained
that Rogers had been open about his feelings and intentions at the time.
"He sincerely felt they, [Rogers and Parton],
had a cute thing going, and if anything happened between them, they'd ruin that."
Still, as it had been asked in plenty of interviews over their careers,
almost every Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers fan has probably wondered if the famous
country music singers were ever an item. And while they've always denied the speculations,
they have admitted to indulging in quite a lot of flirting over the years.
"What kinda questions do you think they'll - I'll have to answer?"
"Well they usually, they'll probably ask questions like uh 'Are they real?'
and 'Has Kenny ever seen 'em'? Would he like to?”
The pair spoke to Today in 2017 about why a romance never happened, with Rogers explaining -
"I'm a believer that tension is better if you keep it than if you satisfy it."
Then Parton chimed in, saying -
"We were almost like brother and sister, and it would almost be like incest."
In a later interview, Rogers said that while they didn't have an affair,
they had a lot of fun flirting with each other for 30 years.
"I thought you guys were dating!"
"But we didn't! We just teased each other and we flirted with each other for 30 years."
Plus, both singers had pretty eventful love lives of their own.
Rogers has been married five times, while Parton has been married to Carl Dean for decades.
Still, it's pretty evident that there was a whole lot of love between Dolly Parton and
Kenny Rogers. In fact, even though the pair were never romantically involved,
they still regard each other as soulmates. Parton told AskAnythingChat in 2017 -
"Kenny's friendship means more to me than our hit records. Actually,
we're kind of like little soulmates."
When Rogers appeared on the Bobby Bones Show, he told a funny story about how their special
friendship worked. He explained that the pair could go three years without seeing each other,
and pick up right where they left off when they reconnected. However,
Rogers didn't know Parton's phone number or email;
instead, the pair communicated solely by fax, thanks to Parton's preference for the medium.
Sadly, Kenny Rogers passed away in 2020.
"I love all of you. I love the way you've treated me.
You've always been respectful, and I will miss you dearly."
Naturally, it was no surprise that his old friend Dolly Parton was heartbroken by his
death. She posted a touching tribute to her longtime collaborator on Twitter, writing,
"You never know how much you love somebody until they're gone...I
loved him as a wonderful man and a true friend."
In the tearful video that accompanied the text, she said,
"My heart's broken, and a big old chunk of it has gone with him today."
A few days later, Parton spoke to Today about his passing. She explained that the news shook her,
and left her feeling extremely emotional for several days. However, she also shared -
"I've kind of put it in a peaceful place, knowing that he's at peace....I'll always miss him,
but I'll always treasure what we had together."
We think it's safe to say that all of their fans feel the same way.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more List videos about your favorite musical duos are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.