Dolly Parton still misses her iconic duet partner, fellow music legend Kenny Rogers. Rogers died in March 2020. He was 81.
Parton, 77, remembered her longtime friend and duet partner — including for the classic 1980s smash-hit “Islands in the Stream” — in a recent interview with PEOPLE: “I miss him so much. I've lost so many wonderful people in my life in the last few years. But Kenny — he was very, very dear and special and I never get tired of hearing us sing, all the years that we were on stage together. …I would always lighten up when that particular song [‘Islands in the Stream’] was due in the setlist. It just always made everybody feel so good in the audience and the audience always loved singing it. I never got tired of Kenny's voice.”
Parton, who continues to release new music, included “Islands in the Stream” on Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection, one of her latest projects that released in November. The nostalgic album compiled 23 of the biggest songs Parton has released throughout her legendary, decades-long career. The cross-label anthology also included “9 To 5,” “Jolene,” a collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, and more, in addition to her unforgettable duets with Rogers.
Rogers’ family announced in March 2020 that he’d passed away of natural causes: “The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25PM at the age of 81. Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.”
“You never know how much you love somebody until they’re gone,” Parton said in a tweet after losing Rogers in 2020. “I’ve had so many wonderful years and wonderful times with my friend Kenny, but above all the music and the success I loved him as a wonderful man and a true friend.”
She added in her recorded message, “…I think I can speak for all his family, his friends, and fans when I say that I will always love you.”