Kris Kristofferson, known for his lyrical poetic songwriting of such melodies as “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Me and Bobby McGee,” has died at age 88.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,” his family said in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday. “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.”
His storied career spanned much more than music, as his rep, Ebie McFarland, noted in a statement emailed to the Daily News.
“He was a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford, a defensive back, a bartender, a Golden Gloves boxer, a gandy dancer, a forest firefighter, a road crew member, and an Army Ranger who flew helicopters,” the statement said. “He was a peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a sex symbol, and a family man. He was commissioned to teach English at West Point, though he gave that up to become a Nashville songwriting bum.”
That range extended to acting and the big screen, as Kristofferson starred in “Alice Doesn’t Live Her Anymore” opposite Ellen Burstyn, in the 1974 Martin Scorsese romantic comedy-drama. In “A Star Is Born” in 1976, he played opposite Barbra Streisand, winning a Golden Globe. He also co-starred with Wesley Snipes in 1998’s “Blade,” of the Marvel universe.
Kristofferson could reportedly recite the prophetic 18th-century poet William Blake’s words from memory, and that sensibility was reflected in his lyrics. He was a country music star contemporary to Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall, but with genre-bridging folk-like tunes and verses.
In 2009 Nelson declared there was “no better songwriter alive” than Kristofferson.
Some of his best-known songs were made famous by others, as with “Me and Bobby McGee,” which he co-wrote with Fred Foster and which became a rock classic recorded by Janis Joplin in 1971, just days before her drug-overdose death.
Kristofferson’s seemingly inexhaustible well of creativity was matched by his work ethic, his associates noted.
“Kris Kristofferson believed to his core that creativity is God-given, and that those who ignore or deflect such a holy gift are doomed to failure and unhappiness,” Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, told Variety. “He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and then he created a body of work that gave voice not only to his soul but to ours.”
Young cited a litany of heroes that included Muhammad Ali and Hank Williams in addition to Blake.
“He lived his life in a way that honored and exemplified the values of each of those men, and he leaves a righteous, courageous and resounding legacy that rings with theirs,” Young said.
From 1973 to 1980 he was married to songwriter Rita Coolidge, turning their partnership into a Grammy-winning musical duet career as well.
He had been retired from performing and recording since 2021.
With News Wire Services
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