Kenny Rogers’ Nephew Reveals What It Was Really Like To Grow Up With Him – ‘I Can’t Wait To See Him Again’

It’s been two years since the country music legend Kenny Rogers tragically passed away at the age of 81, but he is still dearly missed by fans to this day. Now, his nephew Dann Rogers is opening up about what it was really like to grow up with this country music legend.

Dann Rogers Discusses His Uncle 

When asked by Fox News how he would describe his relationship with Kenny, Dann replied, “We were very close. If I ever needed to talk to him, he was there. We were family. We knew each other all of our lives, so I looked at him differently. I never called him Kenny. I called him ‘Uncle Money.'”

“But our relationship was like any other between uncle and nephew,” he continued. “We supported each other.”

Related: Dolly Parton And Kenny Rogers Describe The ‘Tension’ Between Them And Why They ‘Never Went There’

Last Time Dann Saw Kenny

Dann also opened up about the last time that he saw his uncle. 

“I remember we were alone. And I knew it was the last time I would ever see him because he looked really bad,” he revealed. “He was really worn out from being on the road. I said to him, ‘I want you to know that you’ve spent a lifetime creating a great name for our family. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep our family name good.'”

“He was touched. He almost teared up,” Dann continued. “He said, ‘Thank you.’ Family was so important to him. We hugged. I told him I love him. We took one picture together. And I knew that would be the last picture I would ever take with him. That was the last time I ever saw him. It was touching, but it was very beautiful.”

Related: Dolly Parton Breaks Down As She Pays Tribute To Longtime Friend Kenny Rogers

Advice Kenny Gave Dann

As for what advice Kenny gave him about making it in the country music world, Dann said that “the first thing he told me was to always be nice to people. If people like you, they will go out of their way to help you. And the second thing he said was the more success you have, the prettier the girls get.”

Since Dann also went into music, he was asked if he ever feared that he would be in his uncle’s shadow. 

“That’s a natural process I experienced when I was young,” he said. “In the beginning, when they would compare me to him, it just felt so unfair. But as I grew up, I realized that he was out there opening doors for me. And I just have to be smart enough to know how to react and how to handle myself. And he was a huge influence – how could he not be? He and my dad were my two heroes.”

Kenny was a true country music legend, and there will never be anyone else like him. While he is dearly missed, he will live on forever through the incredible music that he gave his fans!