Kenny Rogers, the king of country music, had an awesome life. When he passed away in 2020, he left millions of heartbroken fans mourning, as he gave them so much during his incredible career of 65 years.

The musician and actor was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas. His childhood wasn’t an easy one as his family struggled to make ends meet. His father, who worked as a carpenter, did all in his power to provide for the family, but doing that wasn’t easy during those times so he turned to the alcohol. Kenny spoke of his childhood and said, “I think that one of the real tragedies in my life is that I never really got to know why my dad drank. He couldn’t really support his family and I think it just broke him down. It breaks my heart that I didn’t know that before he passed away.”

Seeing what his addiction did to his dad, Kenny made a decision to never drink alcohol himself.

In his book, “Luck or Something Like It,” the musician wrote how his childhood shaped him in the man he became. “I think it made me more determined. One of the things I talk about in the book is the fine line between being driven and being selfish. I think there were times in my life I was so driven I became very selfish, and I’m not proud of that. I think it’s a realization I came to when I was writing this book.”