Kris Kristofferson, A Star Is Born Actor and Country Legend, Dies at 88

On Saturday, September 28, Kris Kristofferson, the legendary American singer-songwriter, actor, and poet who had a lasting impression on Hollywood and country music, passed away quietly at home in Maui. He was eighty-eight. In a poignant statement, his family revealed that he died surrounded by loved ones:

“We convey with heavy hearts the news that our husband, father, and grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully. We’re so fortunate to have had this time with him. I appreciate your love for him over the years, and know that he is grinning down at all of us when you see a rainbow.

Born in Brownsville, Texas, on June 22, 1936, Kristofferson has a long and illustrious history in the United States. His mother, Mary Ann Ashbrook, was descended from a family of educators and intellectuals, while his father, Swedish immigrant Lars Henry Kristofferson, became a general in the U.S. Army Air Force.

Kris was raised in a rigid military family and moved around a lot as a child because of his father’s job. A young Kris found a love for music in spite of the regimentation—a passion that would come to define his life.

Kris’s early travels and the people he met influenced his songwriting. He wrote “I Hate Your Ugly Face,” his debut song, when he was just 11 years old. It was an early example of the sardonic humor and poetic wit that would later come to define much of his work. When Kristofferson was a teenager, his family moved to San Mateo, California, where his creative abilities developed alongside his athletic aptitude.

He attended at Pomona College in 1954, where he excelled academically in addition to athletically. Kris was a standout football player, Golden Gloves boxer, and the sports editor of the school newspaper. His numerous accomplishments quickly put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 1958 “Faces in the Crowd” story.

After publishing two short pieces in The Atlantic Monthly, “Gone Are the Days” and “The Rock,” he received a degree in creative writing. His writing prowess was evident, and this earned him a renowned Rhodes Scholarship to study English literature at Oxford University’s Merton College.

Because of their strong military heritage, Kristofferson’s family pushed him to carry on his father’s legacy. Kris enlisted in the US Army in 1960, following his graduation from Oxford. He learned to be a helicopter pilot during the following five years, eventually becoming a captain.

Kristofferson formed a band with fellow soldiers and developed a strong ambition to pursue music professionally while stationed in West Germany. It was around this time that he started to take songwriting seriously.

Kris first traveled to Nashville, the center of country music, in the early 1960s while on a short leave from the Army. Despite the strong protests of his family, who disapproved of his decision to leave a bright military career behind, he made the life-altering decision to resign his commission in the Army and completely devote to a career in songwriting, drawn by the dynamic music scene. Later in life, Kristofferson narrated how his parents rejected him due to this choice, but he was unwavering in his love of music.

In an attempt to get into the music industry, Kristofferson took on a number of odd jobs after moving to Nashville in 1965, including working as a janitor at Columbia Recording Studios. His perseverance paid off when well-known musicians started taking an interest in his songs.

Two of his early compositions are “For the Good Times” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” Ray Stevens recorded the latter song, which eventually found its way to Johnny Cash, who turned it into a classic in the country music genre. Cash’s rendition propelled Kristofferson into the public eye when it took home the 1970 Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year award.

That same year saw the publication of Kristofferson, his self-titled first album, which included classic hits like “Me and Bobby McGee,” which he co-wrote with Fred Foster. Following her premature passing in 1970, Janis Joplin’s rendition of the song became an international sensation and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

The song was one of the most memorable successes of the time because of its unique blend of folk, blues, and country influences. Along the way, Kristofferson achieved success with compositions like “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” which in 1971 won him his first Grammy Award for Best Country Song on Sammi Smith’s recording.

The 1970s saw a meteoric rise in Kristofferson’s career. After releasing a number of highly regarded albums, such as Jesus Was a Capricorn (1972) and The Silver Tongued Devil and I (1971), he became known as one of the most thoughtful and socially concerned lyricists in country music.

His songs struck a profound chord with listeners since they frequently dealt with themes of love, grief, and redemption. Songs like “Why Me” evolved into gospel-infused anthems that addressed the spiritual difficulties of common people, and in 1973 Kristofferson was nominated for another Grammy.

Kristofferson also dabbled in acting at this period, appearing in his first motion picture, Cisco Pike (1971), with Gene Hackman and Karen Black. Kristofferson never received any professional acting training, but his raw charisma and sincerity made him a perfect fit on screen. Throughout the decade, he kept appearing in a number of noteworthy movies, such as Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973).

However, his portrayal of a self-destructive rock singer opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 A singer Is Born remake was what really shot him to fame in Hollywood. He won the 1977 Golden Globe for Best Actor as a result of his performance.

Despite the success of his acting career, Kristofferson remained committed to music. He formed the country supergroup The Highwaymen in the 1980s with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. The trio rose to prominence as a representation of the Outlaw Country movement, which Kristofferson had assisted in forming, after their debut album and its smash title track “Highwayman” topped the country charts.

Kris Kristofferson solidified his status as one of the best American songwriters by the 1990s. He went on to perform, record more music, and make appearances in movies. He played the seasoned vampire hunter Whistler opposite Wesley Snipes in the Blade trilogy (1998–2004) and Lone Star (1996).

Kristofferson received many honors in his final years, including a 2014 Recording Academy lifetime achievement award. As a young composer in Nashville, he looked up to the country luminaries, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Kris started experiencing memory loss in 2013. Lyme illness was later shown to be the cause of her memory loss, despite the initial diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. His wife Lisa Meyers reported that he had made a significant recovery from his treatment. Up until his retirement from music in 2021, Kristofferson maintained a steady presence in both the music and film industries despite these health issues.

The Cedar Creek Sessions, Kristofferson’s last CD, was a worthy conclusion to his illustrious career and was published in 2016. It was an assortment of in-studio recordings that exhibited the unadulterated feeling and expressive potency that had characterized his work for over fifty years.

In a 2017 interview with Men’s Journal, Kristofferson reflected on his life and career and said, “Tell the truth, sing with passion, work with laughter, and love with heart.” These lines capture the essence of a guy who created timeless art that impacted millions of people while living life on his own terms.

Along with his five children, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly Marie, and Blake, as well as his three children from prior marriages, Tracy, Kris Jr., and Casey, Kris Kristofferson is survived by his wife, Lisa Meyers.

In addition to leaving seven grandkids, he also leaves a legacy that will inspire fans and artists for many decades to come. His voice, as a storyteller and songwriter, will live on in the hearts of people who loved him because of his immense influence on American culture, music, and movies.