LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, has died.
died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.
McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given.
Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such country and rock 鈥榥鈥� roll standards as 鈥淪unday Mornin' Comin' Down,鈥� 鈥淗elp Me Make it Through the Night,鈥� "For the Good Times" and "Me and Bobby McGee." Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning 鈥淔or the Good Times鈥� or Janis Joplin belting out 鈥淢e and Bobby McGee.鈥�
He starred opposite in director Martin Scorsese's 1974 film 鈥淎lice Doesn鈥檛 Live Here Anymore,鈥� starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 鈥淎 Star Is Born,鈥� and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel鈥檚 鈥淏lade鈥� in 1998.
Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson, and Tom T. Hall.
"There's no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson," Nelson said at a 2009 BMI award ceremony for Kristofferson. 鈥淓verything he writes is a standard and we're all just going to have to live with that.鈥�
from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage, including a performance with Cash's daughter Rosanne at in Los Angeles in 2023. The two sang 鈥淟oving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I鈥檒l Ever Do Again),鈥� a song that was a hit for Kristofferson and a longtime live staple for Nelson, another great interpreter of his work.
Nelson and Kristofferson would join forces with Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to create the country supergroup 鈥淭he Highwaymen鈥� starting in the mid-1980s.
Kristofferson was a Golden Gloves boxer, rugby star and football player in college; received a master鈥檚 degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England; and flew helicopters as a captain in the U.S. Army but turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records鈥� Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal 鈥淏londe on Blonde鈥� double album.
At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson landed a helicopter on Cash鈥檚 lawn to give him a tape of 鈥淪unday Mornin鈥� Comin鈥� Down鈥� with a beer in one hand. Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash鈥檚 house, the Man in Black wasn鈥檛 even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut and he certainly couldn鈥檛 fly a helicopter holding a beer.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.
鈥淪haking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I鈥檇 decided I鈥檇 come back,鈥� Kristofferson said. 鈥淚t 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 the first time.鈥�
One of his most recorded songs, 鈥淢e and Bobby McGee,鈥� was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster. Foster had a song title in his head called 鈥淢e and Bobby McKee,鈥� named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, 鈥淧erforming Songwriter,鈥� that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film, 鈥淟a Strada.鈥�
Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.
Hits that Kristofferson recorded include 鈥淲atch Closely Now,鈥� 鈥淒esperados Waiting for a Train,鈥� 鈥淎 Song I鈥檇 Like to Sing鈥� and 鈥淛esus Was a Capricorn.鈥�
In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.
The formation of the Highwaymen, with Nelson, Cash and Jennings, was another pivotal point in his career as a performer.
鈥淚 think I was different from the other guys in that I came in it as a fan of all of them,鈥� Kristofferson told the AP in 2005. 鈥淚 had a respect for them when I was still in the Army. When I went to Nashville they were like major heroes of mine because they were people who took the music seriously. To be not only recorded by them but to be friends with them and to work side by side was just a little unreal. It was like seeing your face on Mount Rushmore.鈥�
The group put out just three albums between 1985 and 1995. Jennings died in 2002 and Cash died a year later. Kristofferson said in 2005 that there was some talk about reforming the group with other artists, such as George Jones or Hank Williams Jr., but Kristofferson said it wouldn鈥檛 have been the same.
鈥淲hen I look back now 鈥� I know I hear Willie say it was the best time of his life,鈥� Kristofferson said in 2005. 鈥淔or me, I wish I was more aware how short of a time it would be. It was several years, but it was still like the blink of an eye. I wish I would have cherished each moment.鈥�
Among the four, only Nelson is now alive.
Kristofferson's sharp-tongued political lyrics sometimes hurt his popularity, especially in the late 1980s. His 1989 album, 鈥淭hird World Warrior鈥� was focused on Central America and what United States policy had wrought there, but critics and fans weren鈥檛 excited about the overtly political songs.
He said during a 1995 interview with the AP he remembered a woman complaining about one of the songs that began with killing babies in the name of freedom.
鈥淎nd I said, 鈥榃ell, what made you mad 鈥� the fact that I was saying it or the fact that we鈥檙e doing it? To me, they were getting mad at me 鈥檆ause I was telling them what was going on.鈥�
As the son of an Air Force General, he enlisted in the Army in the 1960s because it was expected of him.
鈥淚 was in ROTC in college, and it was just taken for granted in my family that I鈥檇 do my service,鈥� he said in a 2006 AP interview. 鈥淔rom my background and the generation I came up in, honor and serving your country were just taken for granted. So, later, when you come to question some of the things being done in your name, it was particularly painful.鈥�
Hollywood may have saved his music career. He still got exposure through his film and television appearances even when he couldn鈥檛 afford to tour with a full band.
Kristofferson鈥檚 first role was in Dennis Hopper鈥檚 鈥淭he Last Movie,鈥� in 1971.
He had a fondness for Westerns, and would use his gravelly voice to play attractive, stoic leading men. He was Burstyn's ruggedly handsome love interest in 鈥淎lice Doesn鈥檛 Live Here Anymore鈥� and a tragic rock star in a rocky relationship with Streisand in 鈥淎 Star Is Born,鈥� a role echoed by Bradley Cooper in the 2018 remake.
He was the young title outlaw in director Sam Peckinpah鈥檚 1973 鈥淧at Garrett and Billy the Kid," a truck driver for the same director in 1978鈥檚 鈥淐onvoy," and a corrupt sheriff in director John Sayles' 1996, 鈥淟one Star.鈥� He also starred in one of Hollywood biggest financial flops, 鈥淗eaven鈥檚 Gate,鈥� a 1980 Western that ran tens of millions of dollars over budget.
And in a rare appearance in a superhero movie, he played the mentor of Snipes' vampire hunter in 鈥淏lade.鈥�
He described in a 2006 AP interview how he got his first acting gigs when he performed in Los Angeles.
鈥淚t just happened that my first professional gig was at the Troubadour in L.A. opening for Linda Rondstadt,鈥� Kristofferson said. 鈥淩obert Hilburn (Los Angeles Times music critic) wrote a fantastic review and the concert was held over for a week,鈥� Kristofferson said. 鈥淭here were a bunch of movie people coming in there, and I started getting film offers with no experience. Of course, I had no experience performing either.鈥�
___
Hall reported from Nashville. AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.
___
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rosanne Cash.
Andrew Dalton And Kristin M. Hall, The Associated Press
