Kenny Rogers' widow says she's found love again three years after his death
Kenny Rogers ' widow Wanda Miller has moved on with someone "very special" after his death in 2021.
The singer sadly passed away aged 81 due to natural causes. He was well known for his collaboration with Dolly Parton on Islands in the Stream and She Believes In Me. Kenny married Wanda in 1997 after meeting her four years prior on a blind date.
Despite their 28-year age gap, the pair fell in love and shared 19-year-old twin sons Justin and Jordan.
Although Wanda was devastated by his passing, she has since revealed that he "gave her his blessing" to move on and even helped her in the matchmaking process.
"He said, 'I'm not going to be here forever. I want you to be happy,'" Wanda revealed. "'You're young. I want you to have a full life past me.' And of course I was like, 'What? I don't want to talk about that. Turn the TV back on.'
Inside abandoned mansion that once belonged to country music icon Kenny Rogers"One of the big things is to show the boys that life goes on and it does — I'm dating someone very special," she confessed. "Kenny gave me his very best and he wanted me to move on and be happy. That's a really big man to be able to say those words and mean it. I think it just shows the kind of guy he was," she told People.
Wanda went on to explain that Kenny had introduced her to a friend of his and told her that if they don't date, they'd be "friends forever".
The pair became close friends and Wanda notes her partner's "leadership and his positive energy" which reminded her of her late husband. She admitted that Kenny's shoes were "big shoes to step into" and that their relationship was "very special," but she praised her new partner for the ease of their newfound love.
Wanda added: "It's funny because a few of my friends said, 'I just really feel like Kenny's a part of this somehow.' And I know that sounds weird," she says. "[But] he tells our kids, 'I'm not your dad. No one will ever take the place of your dad, but I’m here as your friend forever.'"