He also produced 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' and the 'Gambler' movies that starred Kenny Rogers, whom he managed.
A year later, Kragen returned to organize “Hands Across America,” a human chain that stretched across the U.S. and involved 6.5 million people. That raised millions to help the hungry and the homeless as well.
Kragen was born on Nov. 24, 1936, in Alameda, California. His mother, Billie, was a violinist and his father, Adrian, a tax expert. He attended UC Berkeley before graduating from Harvard Business School.as a production coordinator in 1967, then served as executive producer during the controversial show’s third and final season in 1968-69. He first met Rogers when his band, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, played on the show, and soon became his manager.
He also served on several charity boards including the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation; Community in School; and USA for Africa; and organized Cisco Systems’ NetAid event in 1998. “To have been married to someone of such character and loving goodness is the honor of my life,” Worthington said.