Link copied
Multi-award winning singer, songwriter and actor, Kris Kristofferson, has died at the age of 88.
Considered an icon within the world of country music, Kristofferson passed away on Saturday (September 28) at his home is Hawaii, as confirmed by an official family statement.
As well as releasing solo versions as an artist in his own right, Kris Kristofferson penned an array of hits for Johnny Cash (‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’), Janis Joplin (‘Me and Bobby McGee’) and Sammi Smith (‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’). In 1985, Kristofferson joined forces with Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson to form the legendary super-group, The Highwaymen.
Kristofferson was a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense, starring in the 1976 adaptation of A Star Is Born alongside Barbra Streisand, a performance that earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor later that year. Taking to socials, Streisand paid tribute to her co-star, fondly recalling seeing him play at the LA Troubadour Club for the first time and performing alongside Kristofferson during her 2019 Hyde Park set.
Dolly Parton also shared a touching homage to Kris Kristofferson, reflecting, “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly”.
Midland's frontman, Mark Wystrach, took to Instagram to don Kris Kristofferson, “A poet, a fighter, a pilot, a rogue, an actor, a lover, a songsmith, an original and a hero of mine...Today we lost a legend...A man that had a profound effect on my life and once shared a beer with my Dad at my Family's bar. What a body of work, what a life...Thank you for the inspiration Kris. May the journey continue”.
Wynonna Judd described Kris Kristofferson as “One of my favorite people on this planet”, while Eric Church toasted him as accomplishing “the ultimate life well lived. Thank you for being a beacon of light in a darkening world. You were my hero and my role model. And even then, you managed to exceed my expectations when you became my friend. So long Captain. Till we meet again”. Tim McGraw mused, “Another legend lost...Honored to have witnessed the great [Kris Kristofferson]”.
Born in Brownsville, Texas in 1936, Kris Kristofferson went to San Mateo High School in California, going on to study Literature at the state's Pomona College. Then, Kristofferson travelled to the UK to attend the University of Oxford as an esteemed Rhodes Scholar.
During this period, he fell in love with the writings of William Blake, taking the poet's belief that “you’ll be miserable if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do” to heart. This epitomised Kristofferson's perception that his creative pursuits were not mere frivolities, but divinely ordained duties, hence his willingness to delve into thorny, controversial topics through his songwriting, such as US foreign policy.
After securing his Master's from Oxford in 1960, Kris Kristofferson returned to California and married Fran Beer, his high-school sweetheart. He joined the Army shortly after, with Kristofferson being given the responsibility of teaching literature at West Point.
In 1965, he left the Army and made the inevitable country music pilgrimage to Nashville, where Kristofferson toiled away as a bartender and janitor for Columbia Recording Studios. He spent over four years trying to score his big break as a songwriter, which arrived when he inventively utilised the skills he'd acquired in the Army as a helicopter pilot, and decided to land in Johnny Cash's backyard, handing him a tape of demos. Cash went on to cut ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’, which hit No. 1 on the country charts and won CMA Song of the Year in 1970.
Over the course of his storied career, Kris Kristofferson recorded 18 studio albums, and carried out high-profile roles in films such as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) and Songwriter (1984) with Willie Nelson.
As well as winning a prestigious Golden Globe Award for his role in A Star is Born, Kris Kristofferson was given three coveted Grammy Awards for Best Country Song (‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’) and Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group (‘From The Bottle To The Bottom’) with Rita Coolidge, before winning the same award two years later for ‘Lover Please’, another duet with Coolidge.
Kris Kristofferson was married three times. After divorcing Fran Beer in 1969, he was married to his frequent collaborator Coolidge from 1973 to 1980, before wedding Lisa Meyers three years later. Kristofferson and Meyers celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2023. Kristofferson is survived by Meyers, with whom he shares five children, alongside three children from his previous two marriages.
In an official statement, Kristofferson's family shared the announcement of his passing, “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. 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”.
Kris Kristofferson's legacy will undoubtedly colour the country music landscape for many decades to come, with the outpouring of tributes highlighting the impact he had - and continues to have - on countless artists in the genre today.
For more on Kris Kristofferson, see below:
