Kenny Rogers will soon embark on his final tour, dubbed the Gambler's Last Deal, after which the 77-year-old will retire, capping an epic career that has spanned more than 40 years. The icon is eager to spend time with his wife and children, but he admits that the farewell is bittersweet.

"I will miss my band the most," Rogers tells The Boot. "They’re like my family."

The father of six children, including 11-year-old twins Jordan and Justin (the other four kids are grown), says that a desire to spend time with his family inspired him to retire and come off the road.

"I’ll get to spend more time with my boys," he says. "I want to take them to some weird places. We took them to Africa, and they loved that; we went on a safari. We’re going to Jakarta, [Indonesia], and a couple places in China. I want to take them. We said, ‘We’ll have to take them out of school to do this.’ The school said, ‘What they’re going to do with you is more important than anything we could ever teach them. Take them and have fun.’"

Although the goodbye is bittersweet, the legendary singer doesn't question whether or not he is making the right choice.

“I really want to be there with my kids,” Rogers notes. “They’re very important to me, and I don’t see enough of them.”

A list of all of Rogers' remaining dates is available on his website.

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