Kenny Rogers is a legend in the music industry. The Grammy Award-winning artist has cranked out 39 studio albums with 30 #1 singles on the charts.
You would think that someone who has had such a successful life would be one of those people who says regret isn't something they have. How can they, right? These celebrities spend their lives working towards a goal and then achieving it with flying colors. It seems like the perfect world.
For 79-year-old Rogers, that isn't necessarily the case. After retiring in 2015 to spend more time with his family, the singer faded away from the spotlight. Not long after the announcement, Rogers gave an interview on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, saying that it's hard to find balance when you're a new artist.
"When you get started in this business, there's a fine line between being driven and being selfish," he said. "I think I was selfish a lot."
This is what led to deep regret in Rogers' life. He doesn't regret the drive he had, but he does regret how it affected his family.
"I had two other wives and two other children. I was gone all the time, and that wasn't fair to them," he says. "I don't know that I'd be where I am if I hadn't done that, so that's why I say it's a fine line. But I think I was probably selfish. I regret any pain I caused to them, but I can't change it."
In a separate interview, Rogers insisted he regretted the emotional aspect of his actions, not the actions themselves.
"I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't done this, I could have been working at McDonalds. I regret people I hurt along the way. I don't think I hurt anybody but I don't think I was fair to them. I know all my ex-wives personally," Kenny confessed.
Rogers has had five wives total including his current wife Wanda, and has a combined five children between four of his exes. The ages of his kids spread across a pretty wide range, from 59 years old to 14 years.
But despite his regret, Rogers looks to advice from his late mother to keep his head up high.
"She said, "˜Son, be happy where you are. Never be content to be there, but be happy where you are. Because if you're not happy where you are, you'll never be happy,'" Rogers said.
In addition to his family life, Rogers said in a seperate interview he wasn't happy with his plastic surgery choices, mainly because of a botched eyelid lift.
"I'm not happy about it," he said in 2006. "It drives me crazy."
He joked about it years later, however, and ultimately said he was happy.
"There was a time when I had, when I had a lot of money and a lot of time and I thought, "˜What the hell, I'll go do something," he told talk show host Anderson Cooper. "And Dolly (Parton) and I really we used to laugh about it. Really it was all for the sake of what I thought was looking better and I'm not sure what I would like if I hadn't done it so I am happy."
Do you have any big regrets?
[H/T: Huffington Post, Radar Online]
