Yahoo Lifestyle Lionel Richie Gave an Unbelievably Emotional Tribute to Kenny Rogers on 'Our Country'
During Sunday evening's ACM Presents: Our Country special on CBS, some of the biggest names in country music took a moment to honor legendary icon Kenny Rogers, who died on March 20 at age 81.
The tribute began with Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley singing two of Kenny's biggest hits: "Lucille" and "The Gambler."
.@dariusrucker and @BradPaisley picked a fine time to do a tribute to the late @_KennyRogers on #ACMOurCountry by singing "Lucille" and "The Gambler." If you haven't watched the special yet, head to CBS now or stream it on @CBSAllAccess. pic.twitter.com/C9rE3hCurJ
— CBS (@CBS) April 6, 2020
From there, Luke Bryan sang "Coward of the Country," and ended his performance by thanking Kenny for all of his contributions to music.
.@LukeBryanOnline paying tribute to @_KennyRogers with "Coward of the Country." 🙏🏼#ACMOurCountry pic.twitter.com/jqCeQwCJCd
— Bobby Bones Show (@bobbybonesshow) April 6, 2020
However, the most emotional part was when Lionel Richie took a moment to remember his good friend. "What started out to be a great collab between two guys, Kenny and myself, ended up giving me a surprise. Not only did we have a hit record, but I found one of the greatest friends I ever had in my whole life. We lived so much life together," Lionel said. "Let us celebrate his life, legacy, and more importantly, his music." The show then cut to a performance of their hit song "Lady."
Needless to say, viewers at home were extremely emotional over the tribute.
What a way to end, tribute to the Legend @KennyRogers
with a beautiful song written by Lionel Richie, Lady, which was chart toppers for both men. #ACMOurCountry #ACM #CountryMusic - and I'm in all tears, y'all.— Wakanda (@GiftedPrude) April 6, 2020
I just watched the performance of Lady with Lionel and Kenny. Bone chilling. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Brought a tear to my eyes. Thank you so much for bringing this to us. Been a fan of Kenny’s since I was a kid. 58 now. I’ll truly miss him.
— The Voice of Reason (@VoiceOfReasonCT) April 6, 2020
#LionelRichie speaking eloquently about his long friendship with #KennyRogers to introduce a #classic clip of the two of them performing #Lady together. What a song, and two great voices. #RIP #ACMOurCountry
— Brandy McDonnell (@BAMOK) April 6, 2020
Surely I'm not the only one that cried when @LionelRichie did his tribute to @_KennyRogers 😭😭😭😭 amazing loved it
— Bonney (@Bonney57417967) April 6, 2020
Since Kenny's death, countless musicians have been saluting the late performer in their own ways. Kenny's longtime singing partner Dolly Parton posted a heartbreaking video to her social media accounts on March 21. "God bless you, Kenny. Fly high, straight to the arms of God," Dolly said in the clip. "And to the rest of you, keep the faith."
A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:39am PDT
Apart from Our Country, Kenny's life will be honored next Wednesday evening on CMT Giants: Kenny Rogers: A Benefit For MusiCares. The event will air on CMT and feature performances filmed from musicians' homes and archival footage of Kenny. Dolly, Jennifer Nettles, Lionel Richie, Gavin DeGraw, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Lady Antebellum, Michael McDonald, Randy Houser, Rascal Flatts, and Vince Gill are all confirmed to participate so far.
According to reports, donations received during the special will go to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which provides funds "to musicians and industry professionals impacted by the coronavirus." Half of the money will go toward the country music community in Nashville, Tennessee — a place that meant so much to Kenny.
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