Kris Kristofferson died at the age of 88

Kris Kristofferson, who rose to fame as a Hollywood actor and TV personality in addition to a trailblazing country music singer-songwriter, passed away on Saturday at his Maui, Hawaii, home. It was stated that he died quietly in the company of his family, although no cause of death was given. He was eighty-eight.

In a statement, his family said, “We share with heavy hearts the news that our husband, father, and grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home. The time we get to spend with him is truly a blessing. I’m grateful that you have loved him for so long. Know that he is grinning down at all of us when you see a rainbow. The statement was made on behalf of Lisa, Kristofferson’s wife; his eight children; and Kris Jr. , Blake, Kelly, John, Jesse, Jody, and Casey; as well as his seven grandchildren.

CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Kyle Young stated, “Kris Kristofferson was a firm believer that creativity is a divine gift and that people who mistreat or disregard it are destined for failure and misery. He advocated that a person’s life in the mind gives voice to their soul, and he followed through on this by producing a body of work that spoke for both his and our souls. Among Kris’s heroes were the renowned poet William Blake, the prizefighter Muhammad Ali, and Hank Williams, dubbed the “Hillbilly Shakespeare.”. He left a morally upright, valiant, and profound legacy that resonates with those of those men because he lived his life in a way that honored and personified their values. “.

Before making his breakthrough as the author of such No. 1, Kristofferson had already spent a few years in Music City’s song mills, enjoying modest success. one country hit each in 1970 with Ray Price’s “For the Good Times,” Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”. “Me and Bobby McGee,” one of his songs, became a posthumous No. In 1971, he had one pop hit with his ex-partner Janis Joplin.

In addition to 1972’s “Jesus Was a Capricorn,” which featured his No. 1 hit song, his first four albums for Monument Records, which featured his gruff, unpolished vocals and skillfully written, early-outlaw country tunes, all entered the country top 10. The number one country album “Why Me” peaked at number one. He was married to Rita Coolidge from 1973 to 1980. He shared two Grammy Awards with her, one for best country song (“Help Me Make It Through the Night”).

Bill C. As stated by Malone in “Country Music, U.S. S. A. According to the official history of the genre, “Kristofferson’s lyrics celebrated freedom and sincere relationships while also frequently addressing themes of loneliness, alienation, and pain in a way that had previously been uncommon for country music. “.

It might be Kristofferson who gives himself a hard time. In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, he declared, “I don’t think I’m that good a singer.”. “I can’t think of a single song I wrote that I don’t think sounds better when performed by someone else. However, fans would not have wanted many of his hit songs to be performed by anyone else, much less someone who would have softened their unfiltered emotions.

The musician was a natural for photos because of his slender good looks and easygoing demeanor. His debut on screen came in Bill L. In Norton’s 1972 film “Cisco Pike,” he portrayed the title character, an L. An. under the control of a dishonest drug cop (Gene Hackman), a musician and drug dealer; the film also featured multiple Kristofferson tracks on its soundtrack.

Playing the romantic lead opposite Susan Anspach in Paul Mazursky’s “Blume in Love” (1973) and Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974), he enjoyed a rising movie profile throughout the 1970s. He co-starred with Barbra Streisand in the third iteration of “A Star is Born,” where he won a Golden Globe Award in 1977 for his dissolute rock star role. “.

Nevertheless, he experienced severe setbacks in a few renowned problematic projects while working in Hollywood. In the highly ambitious 1973 Western “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,” directed by Sam Peckinpah, he co-starred with James Coburn as the infamous outlaw. After MGM recut the film, it lost its original meaning and became a notorious cause célèbre. (Kristofferson later starred in Peckinpah’s 1978 film “Convoy,” which was based on C. H. W. The CB radio-themed hit by McCall was a financial success, but the actor received little recognition for it. ).

Actor Kristofferson’s career never fully bounced back from his role in Michael Cimino’s 1980 Western epic “Heaven’s Gate.”. A week after the film’s premiere, United Artists, which had been sold to MGM by Transamerica, wrote off the entire $44 million budget of the picture due to pre-release rumors about cost overruns and Cimino’s on-set perfectionism. The film was met with negative reviews and was subsequently re-edited. Its title became almost a byword for conceit and excess in Tinseltown.

Kristofferson consistently upheld “Heaven’s Gate” against the most vehement criticism, and the book eventually won the respect of critics. The Criterion Collection’s home video release of the movie featured an interview with him from 2012 in which he stated, “[Michael and his movie] deserved better… [it] deserved to be treated like a work of art, and not as some failed economic venture.”. “.

He gradually regained his professional footing in the 1980s. He costarred in Alan Rudolph’s 1984 feature film “Songwriter” alongside Willie Nelson, who recorded a bestselling album of Kristofferson’s songs in 1979. Their joint song score was nominated for an Academy Award.

The group that included Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Nelson, and Kristofferson recorded the No. One country album served as the supergroup’s debut release. The group released two more well-received albums in 1990 and 1995, and were eventually dubbed the Highwaymen.

Despite playing smaller parts, his film career progressed quickly, and in the end, he made over 100 acting appearances in films and television shows. Serving as a vicious Texas lawman in John Sayles’ “Lone Star” in 1996, he received positive reviews. He debuted as vampire hunter Abraham Whistler opposite Wesley Snipes in the popular comic book series “Blade” in 1998, the first of three times. “.

Kristofferson rarely released solo albums after splitting up with Monument in the early 1980s. Nevertheless, Don Was’s three deeply moving and intimate albums from the present, “A Moment of Forever” (1995), “This Old Road” (2006), and “Closer to the Bone” (2009), garnered positive reviews. The song “Feeling Mortal” was released in 2013 under his own label, KK Records.

Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2015.

Kristofferson had developed “a narrative style that introduced intelligence, humor, emotional eloquence, spiritual longing, male vulnerability and a devilish sensuality – indeed, a form of eroticism – to country music,” according to a post by friend and colleague Rodney Crowell at the time of the latter honor. “.

In Brownsville, Texas, on June 2, 1936, he was born. His family moved around a lot, and his father was an Army Air Corps and Air Force officer for a living. He studied at San Mateo, California, high school. , demonstrating his prowess as an athlete and a strong student. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England after earning a summa cum laude degree in English from Pomona College.

While in the United States… KK. Kristofferson recorded his debut albums under the name Kris Carson. But upon arriving back in the U.S. s. , his family pressured him into enlisting in the army. In the end, he was promoted to captain and qualified to operate a helicopter. He left the army in 1965 to pursue music full-time, though, just before starting a job as an English teacher at West Point. His family broke off contact with him right away.

During his four years in Music City, Kristofferson worked as a pilot for commercial helicopters and cleaned out the local Columbia Records studio, where he reportedly met Bob Dylan, his future co-star in “Pat Garrett,” when Dylan was in town recording “Blonde on Blonde.”. An incident that became a Nashville legend involved persuading one of the biggest names in country music to listen to his songs; it took some doing.

“I didn’t really listen to them until one afternoon, when he was flying a National Guard helicopter and he landed in my yard,” Johnny Cash subsequently recalled. June said, “Some fool has landed a helicopter in our yard,” as I was dozing off. It used to be the road that they came from. They’re coming from the sky now!’ I exclaim as I look up and see Kris getting out of a helicopter, a tape measure in one hand and a beer in the other. “.

One of Kristofferson’s first big hits, “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” was recorded live by Cash on “The Johnny Cash Show.” It was named song of the year by the Country Music Association. In a renowned sleep-deprived televised appearance, he accepted the award.

Having gained recognition as one of the nation’s most accomplished hit songwriters and having had his songs covered by major artists like Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Roger Miller, and Ray Stevens, he signed a long-term contract with Monument. Despite having poor sales, his 1970 debut album “Kristofferson” peaked at No. 10, on the country charts in 1971 following Joplin’s popular version, which led the label to rename the set “Me and Bobby McGee.”.

Kristofferson achieved eight consecutive albums in the country top 25 during the 1970s, making him a country music outlaw even before the term gained widespread usage. “The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea” and “Semi-Tough” were among the Hollywood productions in which he starred due to his combination of cool danger and laconic charm. “.

But by the time “Heaven’s Gate” went bust at the box office, the hard-living performer had become personally depressed due to drug and alcohol abuse. When he did finally cut back after splitting from Coolidge, he told the Guardian in 2008 that “the doctor said my liver was the size of a football and that if I didn’t quit, I was going to kill myself.”. “.

His blossoming film and music careers continued from the 1980s onward, if not spectacularly compared to his initial stardom. Even though he kept making frequent appearances on tour, his main focus in later years was acting. His politically left-leaning views were openly expressed in his Mercury Records recordings “Repossessed” (1986) and “Third World Warrior” (1990).

He made an effort as a songwriter to strike a balance between deeply personal and more significant issues. Kristofferson stated, “I think you have to make it work on a one-to-one level first, as if you’re talking right to the person, but you just hope that you’ve written it well enough that people can identify with it and that it works on other levels,” in an interview with CMT in 209. “I remember [songwriter] Vince Matthews saying, ‘You’ve got such a good song going on, why do you have to put that philosophy in there?'” (meaning, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”), he recalled speaking of “Me and Bobby McGee.”. You should heed your friend’s caution, as it turned out to be one of my most memorable lines ever. “.

He talked about his opinions and how others reacted to them in an interview with Variety’s Chris Willman in the 2000s. “Laura Ingraham, the host of a conservative talk show, wrote a book titled “Shut Up and Sing,” and all I could think was, “I’m singing, dammit—shut up and listen!”.

“When I first started performing, it was in rock ‘n’ roll folk clubs like the Bitter End and the Troubadour,” stated Kristofferson in the 2005 book “Rednecks and Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music.”. However, eventually I was working in venues where the majority of my audience was from the country. In certain places, it wasn’t well received, but I felt it was my responsibility to share the truth as I saw it. I recall an incident where, at a show I performed in Atlanta, which I had always thought of as a friendly town because they had become so popular with “Why Me” and were the first to play it on the radio, about 300 people requested a refund. My discussion included Oliver North, the Contras, and our global operations.

“Listen, man, you’re taking a lot more chances than we are because your audience is so much more conservative,” Jackson Browne once told him, recalling the incident from years ago. It could indeed be the case. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, I believe that I began to express myself more publicly. Nowadays, though, I think more people have experienced what I did, which is to love and believe in their country, but to find it difficult to believe that we are actually helping the people in Iraq. As a result, I think my audience is much more open to my message. “.

Ironically, “Talkin’ Vietnam Blues,” written by a Colonel Kris Kristofferson who had just left the Army, became a top 20 country hit for Dave Dudley in 1966 and featured lyrics that mocked anti-Vietnam protestors. He stated in the book, “Because I was still in the Army when I wrote it, it wasn’t so much pro-war as it was pro-soldier. It took me a while to change my mind because up until then, all the information I had came from the Stars and Stripes. After two or three years, I had completely changed my mind and believed that the war was wrong. However, he never felt bad about penning a popular song that inspired demonstrators. He remarked, “I have to say, it was pretty well-written.”. And I recall how much the song meant to Harlan Howard, one of his idols in country songwriting. “.

Additionally, Kristofferson stated, “Everything is political.”. The term “political” just makes it sound worse. We are discussing matters of importance, such as life and death. “.

He was amused by the fact that younger viewers were more familiar with him from the movies. “Someone backstage said, ‘There are all these kids out there saying, ‘Geez, Whistler sings?'” he recalled, alluding to his part in the “Blade” films, while he was performing in Sweden, to Willman.

Kristofferson and his family claimed that he had memory loss in later years, despite the fact that it was misdiagnosed for a long time. He was informed that he was either suffering from head injuries sustained during his time as a boxer, rugby player, and football player in his youth, or he had dementia brought on by Alzheimer’s disease. However, a medical professional discovered in 2016 that he had tested positive for Lyme disease.

His wife, Lisa, told Rolling Stone, “He was taking all these medications for things he doesn’t have, and they all have side effects.” She also said that after he stopped taking the medications for other ailments, his condition got better. While he still experienced memory loss, she added, “there are days when he acts completely normal and it’s easy to forget that he is even fighting anything.”. It’s like Lazarus rising from the dead and becoming a new person, his friend Chris Gantry said to Closer Weekly. “.

“I really have no anxiety about controlling my own life,” Kristofferson stated in the 2016 Rolling Stone interview. I just kind of slipped into it, and it worked. It isn’t up to you or me. I consider myself extremely fortunate to still be alive after experiencing so many things that could have ended my life. But for some reason, I always get the impression that He is competent. Thus far, everything has gone well, and this is likely to continue. “.

He performed complete sets up until the start of the pandemic in early 2020, despite the memory problems.

During Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023, Kristofferson made some of his last public appearances. He sang duets on the first night, “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” with Roseanne Cash, and on the second night, “Help Me Make It Through the Night” with Norah Jones. Even on the best of days, Kristofferson’s voice wasn’t meant for sweet harmony singing, as Variety’s reviewer noted of his pairing with Cash, which was perhaps the most moving moment of the evening. Nevertheless, how endearing it was, as Cash provided her spiritual uncle with all the assistance he required to transform this melancholic remembrance song into a cozy group hug. “.

Bob Dylan was so fond of Kristofferson that, in 2015, during an unexpectedly lengthy speech to accept an award from the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Foundation, he quoted “Sunday Morning Coming Down” extensively.

Dylan said, “Everything was all right until — until — Kristofferson came to town,” in reference to other songwriters. Yes, they have never seen anyone quite like him. He entered [Nashville] with the wildness of a songwriter, circling around Johnny Cash’s backyard in his helicopter (laughing). ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down,’ he went for the throat.

I, however, awoke on Sunday morning.

Without any means of supporting my head that didn’t cause pain.

I also didn’t have a horrible breakfast beer.

I thus enjoyed one more for dessert.

And I started rummaging through my clothes.

Found my most soiled, clean shirt.

I then gave myself a facial wash and gave my hair a brush.

and stumbled into the day as they descended the stairs.

Dylan remarked, “You can compare Nashville’s pre- and post-Kris periods because he brought about so many changes.”. “.