About three years ago, Kenny Rogers sat for an interview with Southern Living - naturally, the conversation turned to Dolly Parton, his longtime friend and singing partner. The question: What's your favorite memory of Dolly?

Kenny Rogers, a grizzled, raspy-voiced country-pop crooner who specialized in narrative-driven ballads such as "Lucille" and "The Gambler," the latter of which sent its life-as-a-card-game refrain echoing through popular culture, has died at 81.