Kenny and Wanda Rogers with sons Justin and Jordan.Photo:Courtesy of Wanda Rogers
Courtesy of Wanda Rogers
Kenny Rogersmay be gone, but the life lessons he instilled in his children live on.
The country superstars’twin sons Justin and Jordan, 19, open up in this week’s issue of PEOPLE about the loss of their beloved father, and the ways in which they keep his memory alive.
“I used to be bullied a lot. I’d come home crying and my dad would say, ‘Just keep being yourself. You’re very funny,’” says Jordan. “Every day I still live up to that.”
The twins, whom Rogers shared with wife Wanda, were just 16 years old when the singer, 81,died in March 2020. In the years since, they’ve maintained the traditions they established together, like Super Saturdays, a weekly boys-only trip that included breakfast at McDonald’s, the car wash and a stop at Chuck E. Cheese.
“I remember all the fun memories we used to have at Chuck E. Cheese,” says Jordan. “We still go to that location and we sit at the exact same table that we used to.”
Kenny Rogers with Justin and Jordan Rogers.Courtesy of Wanda Rogers
Adds Justin: “I miss everything about him. He was a really fun dad.”
Rogers —who was also dadto Christopher, 41, Kenny Jr., 59, and Carole, 64 — captured special memories of the boys’ childhood on the song “Catchin’ Grasshoppers,” which was included on the posthumous albumLife Is Like a Song.
“I loved the album a lot,” says Jordan. “Before it was completed, my mom let us listen to ‘Catchin’ Grasshoppers’ and my eyes started tearing up.”
Dad’s music career has proved inspiring for the boys; Justin says he took guitar lessons “because I wanted to be like my dad,” while Jordan has taken a liking to the drums. The boys cite “Coward of the County,” “The Gambler” and “Love Will Turn You Around” as their favorite songs of Rogers’.
Justin and Jordan Rogers at their high school graduation in June.Kenny Rogers Instagram
Kenny Rogers Instagram
Justin and Jordancelebrated their high school graduationin June, and the brothers plan to take a gap year to figure out what they want to do next.
Their mom Wanda, 56, also speaks with PEOPLE in this week’s issue about the late singer, and says his spirit lives on in his sons.
“I see so much of him in their mannerisms, how they stand with their hands in their pockets or behind their backs when they’re listening to something,” she says. “I always tell them, ‘That was your dad’s look.’ The older they get, the more they want to know about him. I hear them tell people, ‘My dad used to stand like that.’ It’s so sweet.”
For more on Wanda Rogers, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
