Singer, songwriter, award-winning actor and activist Kris Kristofferson died Saturday, September 28th, at his home in Maui, Hawaii at the age of 88.
- Born on June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas
- Renowned songwriter whose work includes “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Times” and "Help Me Make It Through the Night."
- Was nominated for 14 Grammys for his songwriting and recordings, winning four.
- Won a CMA Song of the Year award for "Sunday Morning Coming Down in 1970 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from them in 2019.
- Appeared in over 90 movies and won a Golden Globe for his work in A Star Is Born. His lone Academy Award nomination came for his score to the 1984 movie Songwriter, in which he co-starred with Willie Nelson.
- Was a member, along with Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, of the country supergroup The Highwaymen, which recorded three albums between 1985 and '95.
- Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Born June 22,1936 in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar and entered into the military at the urging of his father who was a Major General in the Air Force.
After an honorable discharge he moved to Nashville and worked as a janitor at a recording studio while he pursued a career in songwriting. He got his big break when Johnny Cash recorded his song, “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”
Many of the songs he wrote, including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Times,” “Lovin’ Her Was Easier” and “Help Me Make it Through the Night” became classics. He began a recording career in the 1970s and won four Grammy Awards including two for his work with his then-wife Rita Coolidge. Between 1985 and '95, he recorded three albums as a member of the country supergroup The Highwaymen, with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
He also had a successful movie career, appearing in more than 90 films, including Blume in Love, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Semi-Tough and A Star is Born with Barbra Streisand, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Starting in the first decade of this century, Kristofferson dealt with a number of health issues, including loss of memory. He was diagnosed first with fibromyalgia and later with Alzheimer's disease, but those were later revealed to have actually been Lyme disease. When he received the correct drugs for it, much of his memory returned.
Kristofferson is survived by his wife of 41 years, Lisa; eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly, and Blake; and seven grandchildren. They offered this statement on 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 28th 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.”
Check out Sammy Hagar's post, and fantastic photo of him with Kris, here from his official Facebook page.
Here is what artist Joe Bonamassa had to say on his official X account, and here is a tribute to Kris from Melissa Etheridge.
Finally, " target="_blank">here's some words from Barbara Streisand on her memory of Kris Kristofferson.