PALM DESERT – Balladeer Jimmie Rodgers has died of kidney disease in Palm Desert at the age of 87.

Rodgers had a run of hits and mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. His string of crossover singles ranked highly on the Billboard Pop Singles.

In the summer of 1957, Rodgers recorded "Honeycomb" which was Rodgers' biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for four weeks. It sold over one million copies,[9] and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[10] Over the following year he had a number of other hits that reached the Top 10 on the charts: "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again", "Secretly", and "Are You Really Mine".

On December 1, 1967, Rodgers suffered traumatic head injuries after the car he was driving was stopped by an off-duty police officer near the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles. He had a fractured skull and required several surgeries.

Rodgers appeared in a 1999 video, Rock & Roll Graffiti by American Public Television, along with about 20 other performers. He stated that he had suffered from spasmodic dysphonia for a number of years, and could hardly sing.

In 2012 concert, Rodgers underwent open heart surgery following a heart attack three weeks earlier, according to Wikipedia.

Rodgers and his third wife, Mary, have a daughter, Katrine, who was born in 1989.

Story Date: January 28, 2021