The renowned country music artist Kris Kristofferson, who also juggled his music with a successful acting career, has passed away at the age of 88. His death was confirmed by the family on a Sunday evening stating that he “departed peacefully” at his residence on Saturday. A heartfelt message was shared by his wife Lisa, his eight offspring and seven grandchildren expressing gratitude towards his fans for their years of support and love for him.
Known for his sincere, emotional and poetically crafted country music, Kristofferson repeatedly dominated the US country music charts. His songs became popular hits covered by artists like Janis Joplin, Gladys Knight and Johnny Cash. His acting prowess led him to collaborate with renowned film directors like Martin Scorsese and Sam Peckinpah in the mid-70s, earning him a Golden Globe for his excellent performance with Barbra Streisand in the reimagined version of A Star is Born in 1976.
Kristofferson was born in Texas in 1936, and completed his high school education in California, harboring initial ambitions of becoming an author. He progressed to study literature at Pomona College in southern California and then at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship. His first venture into the world of music was in the UK where he recorded songs—which unfortunately never met their release—using the alias Kris Carson, driven by the burgeoning rock’n’roll scene.
After leaving the US army in 1965, where he served as a helicopter pilot, Kristofferson carried forward this talent in the oil industry and National Guard while continuing his music, creating tensions within his military family. He once reflected on his tough spirit, “Something inside me made me want to do the tough stuff . . . Part of it was that I wanted to be a writer, and I figured that I had to get out and live.” He headed to Nashville—known as the heart of country music—working as a janitor for Columbia Recording Studios and a bartender, writing songs for Jerry Lee Lewis and other country music artists. Yet, his solo career initially stumbled.
A turning point came when he successfully flew a National Guard helicopter to the residence of Johnny Cash, delivering a tape of his music numbers and later branded the encounter as a contentious trespassing of personal bounds. The song Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down appealed to Cash, leading to a rendition by Cash that rose to the apex of the country chart in 1970, also clinching song of the year at the Country Music Association awards.
That same year, Kristofferson released the inaugural album of the subsequent 18 studio albums of his vocation. His short-term romantic involvement with Janis Joplin led to her recording of his creation Me and Bobby McGee, which soared to the pinnacle of the charts following her passing in 1970. A further number from Kristofferson that same year, Help me Make It Through the Night, was a chart topper for Sammi Smith and had subsequent coverage by Elvis Presley, Gladys Knight, Mariah Carey and many more.
By 1972, when his fourth album Jesus Was a Capricorn crowned the country chart, the notably attractive Kristofferson had embarked on a film career, initially featured in Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie. Other prominent roles include portraying the rebel- Billy the Kid in Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), starring alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) and partnering with Burt Reynolds in the sports comedy-drama Semi-Tough (1977). A Star Is Born catapulted his Hollywood triumph which was later destabilised by Heaven’s Gate (1980), known for its notorious box-office disaster.
In 1979, Kristofferson had a number of his pieces covered by Willie Nelson in a popular album, and in 1982 they teamed up with Dolly Parton and Brenda Lee to compile their mid-60s songs. 1985 saw Kristofferson and Nelson join forces with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to form another music posse, The Highwaymen. The band’s debut album, Highwayman, penned by Jimmy Webb, recaptured the country charts top spot for Kristofferson.
During the 1980s, Kristofferson publicly dissented against US president, Ronald Reagan, and the US’ foreign policies in Central America, particularly, the financing of warfare against leftist forces in El Salvador and Nicaragua. This was referenced in Kristofferson’s 1986 album, Repossesed.
In a consistent acting career, he got a breakthrough in 1996 when he portrayed the evil sheriff Charlie Wade in John Sayles’ well-received neo-western film, Lone Star, acting in partnership with Chris Cooper and Matthew McConaughey. This paved the way for significant roles like playing the vampire slayer Abraham Whistler in three Blade films, where Wesley Snipes was the star.
Kristofferson bowed out of acting in 2021. His last cinematic performance was in the 2018 drama Blaze, directed by Ethan Hawke. His latest record, The Cedar Creek Sessions, was released back in 2016.
Kristofferson’s personal life saw him down the aisle thrice. His first wife was Fran Beer, whom he wed in 1960. He later married singer Rita Coolidge in 1973, and their duet album the same year, Full Moon, became very successful, even making its way into the Top 30 of the pop charts. They ended their marriage in 1980. His third and final marriage was to Lisa Meyers in 1983, with whom he had five children. This was in addition to his three offspring from his previous two weddings.