Grammy Award-winning country music legend and actor Kris Kristofferson has passed away at the age of 88, his family has confirmed.
The beloved entertainer, known for his roles in films such as the Blade trilogy and Planet of the Apes, died peacefully at his home in Maui on Saturday, surrounded by his family.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our husband, father, and grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28, at home,” the family’s statement read. “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.”
Kristofferson, born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1936, left an indelible mark on both country music and Hollywood. His songwriting career began in the late 1960s, producing timeless hits like “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”
While Kristofferson was an accomplished singer, many of his songs became famous through other artists’ performances. Ray Price’s rendition of “For the Good Times” and Janis Joplin’s iconic version of “Me and Bobby McGee” solidified his place in music history.
With his long hair, bell-bottoms, and countercultural attitude, Kristofferson, alongside contemporaries like Willie Nelson and John Prine, ushered in a new era of country songwriting, heavily influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan. Kristofferson was widely respected in the industry, with Nelson famously saying in 2009, “There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson. Everything he writes is a standard, and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”
Over the course of his career, Kristofferson earned numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards. He took home Best Country Song in 1971 for “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and twice won Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Rita Coolidge, his former wife, in 1973 and 1975. In 2014, he was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the music industry.
Kristofferson retired from performing and recording in 2021 but made occasional guest appearances on stage. Reflecting on his career in a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, Kristofferson credited much of his success to Johnny Cash.
“Shaking his 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. He put me on stage for the first time.”
In addition to his legendary music career, Kristofferson enjoyed a prolific acting career, sharing the screen with some of Hollywood’s biggest names. He starred alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (1976), and with Wesley Snipes in Blade (1998), reprising his role as Abraham Whistler in subsequent Blade films.
Kris Kristofferson is survived by his wife, Lisa; his eight children: Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly, and Blake; and seven grandchildren.
