Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dead at 88

Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a unique writing style and rugged charisma who rose to fame as a country music icon and Hollywood star, has passed away. He died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday at the age of 88, according to family spokesperson Ebie McFarland, who confirmed Kristofferson passed peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. No cause of death was provided.

Beginning in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas, native penned timeless classics such as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” While Kristofferson was a talented singer, many of his songs gained greater fame when covered by other artists, including Ray Price’s rendition of “For the Good Times” and Janis Joplin’s iconic performance of “Me and Bobby McGee.”

In addition to his songwriting career, Kristofferson made a name for himself as an actor, starring alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, with Barbra Streisand in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born, and opposite Wesley Snipes in 1998’s Blade.

A scholar who could recite the poetry of William Blake by heart, Kristofferson infused country music with intricate, folk-inspired lyrics about love and solitude. Along with contemporaries like Willie Nelson, John Prine, and Tom T. Hall, he helped usher in a new era of country music that was influenced by the counterculture, with long hair, bell-bottoms, and songs shaped by the poetic storytelling of Bob Dylan.

“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” Nelson said during a BMI awards ceremony in November 2009 honoring Kristofferson’s achievements. “Everything he writes is a standard, and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”

As an actor, Kristofferson often played leading roles opposite major stars like Streisand and Burstyn, but also had a passion for Westerns and cowboy dramas.

In his early years, Kristofferson was a Golden Gloves boxer and college football player. He earned a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford and was offered a teaching position at West Point. However, he turned it down to pursue his dream of becoming a songwriter in Nashville. To support himself, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966, when Bob Dylan was recording tracks for his landmark Blonde on Blonde album.

Legendary stories followed Kristofferson throughout his career. One famous tale, often recounted by Johnny Cash, claimed that Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to deliver a demo tape of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” with a beer in hand. While Kristofferson admitted to landing the helicopter, he clarified in later interviews that Cash wasn’t home, and the song he brought wasn’t the one that became famous. He also stressed that he couldn’t have flown while holding a beer.

In a 2006 interview, Kristofferson acknowledged the pivotal role Cash played in his career. “Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army, backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, was the moment I decided to come back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He took me under his wing before he ever recorded one of my songs. He recorded my first song that became Record of the Year. He put me on stage for the first time.”

One of Kristofferson’s most famous compositions, “Me and Bobby McGee,” came at the suggestion of Monument Records founder Fred Foster, who had the title “Me and Bobby McKee” in mind. Inspired by Fellini’s La Strada, Kristofferson wrote the song about a man and woman traveling together. Janis Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, altered the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man. She recorded her version just days before her death in 1970, and it became a posthumous No. 1 hit.

Kristofferson’s own hits included “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”

He married fellow singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge in 1973, and together they earned two Grammy Awards for their duets. The couple divorced in 1980.

Kristofferson retired from performing and recording in 2021 but made occasional guest appearances on stage in the following years.