“Heartbreak Strikes Again: Roy Rogers Mourns the Passing of Adopted Son John David (Sandy) Rogers”

Roy Rogers’ adopted son, John David (Sandy) Rogers, passed away at 18 in a military hospital in Germany, according to U.S. Army spokesmen. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to vomiting. This marked the second tragic incident for Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, who lost their adopted Korean daughter, Debbie Rogers, in a 1964 bus-car collision.

John David, born in 1947, was adopted at the age of 5. After enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1964, he recently participated in maneuvers in Germany. Complaints of illness led him to the U.S. Army dispensary at Helmhausen, where he was checked twice and reported to be in satisfactory condition. Unfortunately, he vomited early Sunday, inhaling some of the disgorged matter, resulting in a fatal outcome.

The Rogers family, having endured multiple losses, including the death of their natural daughter, Robin Elizabeth, in 1952, is now in seclusion at their Apple Valley ranch. John David is survived by six siblings. The family is awaiting the arrival of his body from Germany, and funeral services are pending.