Kris Kristofferson, an accomplished singer and songwriter who starred in A Star Is Born, has died at the age of 88.
The multitalented entertainer, who was a country singer-songwriter and actor, died Saturday at his Maui, Hawaii home, his rep told People.
The Why Me artist ‘peacefully’ passed away surrounded by relatives, his rep told the outlet.
‘It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,’ his family said in a statement, the outlet reported. ‘We’re all so blessed for our time with him.
‘Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.’
Among his numerous acting achievements, Kristofferson played the role of troubled rocker John Norman Howard in the 1976 A Star Is Born remake opposite Barbra Streisand. He won the Golden Globe in 1977 for his work in the film.
Kristofferson’s other major acting endeavors include a turn as the character Whistler in the Wesley Snipes action films Blade (1998), Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trilogy (2004).
He also starred opposite Ellen Burstyn in director Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
Hollywood may have saved his music career. He still got exposure through his film and television appearances even when he couldn’t afford to tour with a full band.
Kristofferson’s first role was in Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie, in 1971.
He was the young title outlaw in director Sam Peckinpah’s 1973 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, a truck driver for the same director in 1978’s Convoy, and a corrupt sheriff in director John Sayles’ 1996, Lone Star. He also starred in one of Hollywood biggest financial flops, Heaven’s Gate, a 1980 Western that ran tens of millions of dollars over budget.
He described in a 2006 Associated Press interview how he got his first acting gigs when he performed in Los Angeles.
‘It just happened that my first professional gig was at the Troubadour in L.A. opening for Linda Rondstadt,’ Kristofferson said. ‘Robert Hilburn (Los Angeles Times music critic) wrote a fantastic review and the concert was held over for a week,’ Kristofferson said. ‘There were a bunch of movie people coming in there, and I started getting film offers with no experience. Of course, I had no experience performing either.’
Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and later a Hollywood actor.
His musical career began in the late 1960s, as the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such classics standards as Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, Help Me Make it Through the Night, For the Good Times and Me and Bobby McGee.
Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning For the Good Times or Janis Joplin belting out Me and Bobby McGee.
Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music.
With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.
‘There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,’ Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI. ‘Everything he writes is a standard and we’re all just going to have to live with that.’
He was a Golden Gloves boxer and football player in college, received a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England and turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville.
As the son of an Air Force General, he enlisted in the Army in the 1960s because it was expected of him.
‘I was in ROTC in college, and it was just taken for granted in my family that I’d do my service,’ he said in a 2006 AP interview. ‘From my background and the generation I came up in, honor and serving your country were just taken for granted. So, later, when you come to question some of the things being done in your name, it was particularly painful.’
Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal Blonde on Blonde double album.
At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Johnny Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to give him a tape of Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’ with a beer in one hand.
Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash’s house, the Man in Black wasn’t even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut and he certainly couldn’t fly a helicopter holding a beer.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.
‘Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I’d decided I’d come back,’ Kristofferson said. ‘It was electric. He kind of took me under his wing before he cut any of my songs. He cut my first record that was record of the year. He put me on stage the first time.’
One of his most recorded songs, Me and Bobby McGee, was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster.
Foster had a song title in his head called Me and Bobby McKee, named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, Performing Songwriter, that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film, La Strada.
Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.
Hits that Kristofferson recorded include Why Me, Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do), Watch Closely Now, Desperados Waiting for a Train, A Song I’d Like to Sing and Jesus Was a Capricorn.
In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.
Kristofferson retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage.
As news spread of his passing, a number of people and institutions paid memorial to Kristofferson online.
Country artist Travis Tritt said, ‘Sad to hear of Kris Kristofferson’s passing. He was an inspiration to me and I was fortunate to get to know him on the set of Outlaw Justice that we filmed in Spain in 1998. My heartfelt condolences go out to Kris’s wife Lisa and all of his family, friends and fans.’
Country artist John Rich said, ‘So sad to hear Kris Kristofferson has passed. He and I became friends over the years, and it was a distinct honor every time I got to work or hang out with him. He was one of the greatest lyricists to ever live, and a true class act. He set the bar so very high. Miss ya brother.’
Lee Greenwood said, ‘Hard to believe my friend Kris Kristofferson has left us. He was successful in all areas of his life. A champion boxer, a world-class actor, a spectacular songwriter and singer, and a hero to everyone fortunate enough to know him.
‘I will never forget his support for me when I received my first CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Award – his friendship and encouragement helped validate my career in country music and my place in Nashville. My family and I send our deepest sympathy to Kris’ family. We lost a giant in our industry today!’
Said Leann Rimes: ‘An epic human with the biggest heart ♥️ you will be so, so missed. rest easy, my friend. #kriskristofferson.’
A tweet from CMA Country Music read: ‘We are heartbroken to learn about the loss of legendary Country Music icon Kris Kristofferson.
‘The beloved artist, singer, songwriter and Country Music Hall of Fame member has forever left a mark on music’s history. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’
SiriusXM host Eric Alper said, ‘If you ever hummed Me and Bobby McGee or found solace in Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, then you’ve felt the genius of Kris Kristofferson. A legend in both country music & Hollywood. Rest easy, Kris, your songs and roles live forever in our hearts.’
Entertainment journalist Pam Windsor wrote: ‘So sad to learn about the passing of #KrisKristofferson. He died at home in Hawaii yesterday. He was 88. He was an incredible singer, songwriter, and actor. Also, a Rhodes Scholar, football player, boxer, firefighter, and Army Ranger helicopter pilot. What a life, what a legacy.’
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said in a statement, ‘Kris Kristofferson believed creativity is God-given, and those who ignore such a gift are doomed to unhappiness. He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and his work gave voice not only to his soul but to ours. He leaves a resounding legacy.’
Kristofferson is survived by his spouse Lisa, eight children and seven grandchildren.
