Kris Kristofferson, legendary country singer-songwriter, accomplished athlete and scholar, and award-winning actor, has died at the age of 88. A representative for Kristofferson confirmed he passed away peacefully at his home in Maui on Saturday, September 28th, surrounded by family. No cause of death was announced.
In a statement, his family expressed their gratitude for the love he received throughout his life, saying, “Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
Born on June 22nd, 1936, in Brownsville, TX, Kristofferson grew up with a love of music and a deep connection to storytelling. After graduating with a degree in creative literature from Pomona College, where he was a Golden Gloves boxer and a football and rugby player, he earned a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which allowed him to continue his studies at Oxford. He served in the U.S. Army, eventually rising to the rank of captain. Inspired by Johnny Cash, whom he met at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, he turned down the opportunity to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to pursue songwriting—a decision of which his parents did not approve.
“Shaking [Cash’s] 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 (Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”). He put me on stage the first time.”
Kris Kristofferson & Johnny Cash – “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” (Live, 1978)
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In 2004, he told Pomona College Magazine, “[My parents] thought that somewhere between Oxford and the Army I had gone crazy. My mother said nobody over 14 listens to that kind of stuff anyway. … But I was more and more determined to go that way. And being virtually disowned was kind of liberating for me, because I had nothing left to lose.”
Kristofferson first broke into the music industry by working as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 while Bob Dylan was there tracking songs for his seminal double album Blonde on Blonde.
He went on to pen such classics as “Me and Bobby McGee”, which became a hit for Janis Joplin and a staple in the Grateful Dead‘s live catalog, and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, cementing his place in country music and songwriting history. Beyond his solo career, he was part of the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. He also composed songs for other artists, including the Ray Price hit “For the Good Times”.
“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” Willie Nelson said in 2009 at an 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.”
Kristofferson won three Grammy awards, including two for duets with Rita Coolidge, with whom he shared a flourishing musical partnership and marriage from 1973 until their divorce in 1980.
He also had a significant acting career, with roles in films like the male lead in 1976’s A Star Is Born (1976), which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor, and a recurring role in the Blade trilogy as Abraham Whistler, a vampire hunter and mentor to Wesley Snipes‘ titular character.
In 2013, Kristofferson faced health challenges, initially misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s before being diagnosed with Lyme disease. Despite these struggles, his legacy remained strong. In 2021, he officially retired from music.
Kristofferson leaves behind his wife, Lisa, eight children, and seven grandchildren. His contributions to music and film, along with his poetic approach to life, will be remembered for generations.
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