Kris Kristofferson, Country Music Legend and Actor, Dead at 88

The country icon transcended the genre and became part of culture worldwide.

By Andrew Roberts

Groundbreaking country music star and Hollywood film and TV actor Kris Kristofferson has died. According to Variety he died at his home in Maui, Hawaii with no cause of death listed yet. He was 88.

His family shared a statement announcing his passing and confirming he died peacefully at home with his loved ones. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home. 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," the statement reads. It was sent on behalf of his wife, Lisa, and his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren.

Born in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson was an army brat who moved around a lot in his youth. He enrolled in Pomona College and was responsible for prize-winning essays, going on to the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. But his goal at the time was his singing career eventually. He graduated with a B.Phil in English literature.

After military service during the early '60s, Kristofferson was a helicopter pilot. He soon left the military, however to pursue songwriting. He moved to Nashville and would go on to write legendary tunes like "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Bobby McGee," and "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down," which won him Songwriter of the Year in 1970 after Johnny Cash recorded the song.

Outside of the music world, Kristofferson enjoyed a lengthy and successful acting career. He was co-billed with Barbra Streisand and won a Golden Globe for his role in A Star is Born in 1977, years after films like Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore from Martin Scorsese and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid by Sam Peckinpah.

He was also the lead in the infamous flop Heaven's Gate, defending it against critical barbs until it gained respect long after it had been written off as a failure. "Both Michael and his movie deserved better...[it] deserved being treated like a work of art, and not as some failed economic venture," he said in a 2012 interview.

Kristofferson would join the Highwaymen with fellow country legends Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings in 1990 and 1995 while expanding film roles into more tough guy or grizzled veteran roles. His portrayal of Blade's partner, Whistler, in the Marvel film series helped to cement them as a success.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004, received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He leaves behind a legend and influence that can't be discounted or truly captured in an obituary. Kristofferson was one guy who would be there when the fire was raging and he'd be there after the smoke clears.

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