Author: Juli Thanki, Nashville Tennessean

Actor-singer Kenny Rogers, the smooth, Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned various music genres, died of natural causes Friday night. He was 81.

“We’re going to be the oldest guys to make it in rock ‘n’ roll,” says actor Dennis Quaid, who worked with T Bone Burnett on his album with the Sharks.

A publicist said country star Roy Clark, the guitar virtuoso and singer who headlined the cornpone TV show “Hee Haw” for nearly a quarter century, has died.

Country music celebrated its big night Wednesday. Chris Stapleton racked up awards for ‘Broken Halos,’ while Kacey Musgraves won album of the year.