Kris Kristofferson, a legendary force in both country music and movies, is dead at 88 years old.
Per a press release, Kristofferson “passed away peacefully in his home in Maui, Hawaii” while “surrounded by family” on September 28.
Kristofferson’s family says in a statement:
“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. 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 was born in Brownsville, Texas on June 22, 1936. He launched his music career in the 1960s. His debut album, 1970’s Kristofferson, was a top-10 hit on the US country charts. He achieved his first country No. 1 album in 1972 with his fourth release, Jesus Was A Capricorn. He also garnered significant acclaim and success for his work in the supergroup The Highwaymen alongside Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.
He also saw significant success as a songwriter outside of his own recordings. Cash’s rendition of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” topped the country chart, while Janis Joplin’s recording of “Me And Bobby Mcgee” was also No. 1 hit on the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
Kristofferson was prolific and successful as an actor, too. Most notably, he starred in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born, a role that won him a Golden Globe for Best Actor In A Musical. He also won three Grammys in his career and received the Grammys’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.