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Kris Kristofferson, an award-winning country singer and actor who collaborated with Johnny Cash and Martin Scorsese, died at the age of 88.
A spokesman stated that he died “peacefully” on Saturday at his home in Hawaii, surrounded by family.
The statement referred to Kristofferson as “a peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a sex symbol, and a family man.”
The multi-award winner was well-known for his composition, with credits including Me and Bobby McGee and Help Me Make It Through the Night, among others. He also appeared in the popular film A Star is Born.
A note from his family stated that they were “so blessed” to have spent 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,” added the letter, which was reported by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, on June 22, 1936, and rose to prominence in country music.
According to the family message, “When I got started, I was one of the people hoping to bring respect to country music,” he remarked.
“Some of the songs I wrote that became hits did that. I suppose that’s why someone would vote me into the Hall of Fame. “I know it isn’t because of my golden throat.”
Kristofferson studied writing at Pomona College in California before going to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He received his master’s degree from Oxford in 1960 before returning to the United States and joining the army.
The military assigned him to teach literature, which he said: “sounded like hell”.
In 1965, he visited Nashville and resigned from his army station within two weeks to pursue a career in country music.
According to the chairman of the Country Hall of Fame and Museum, he left “a resounding legacy”.
“Kris Kristofferson believed creativity is God-given, and those who ignore such a gift are doomed to unhappiness,” X’s Kyle Young wrote. “He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and his work gave voice not only to his soul but to ours.”
He won three Grammys for best country song, including Help Me Make It Through the Night in 1972, as well as two duets with Rita Coolidge (1974, 1976), whom he married in the 1970s.
Kristofferson made his acting debut in 1971, and he went on to win a Golden Globe for his role as John Norman Howard in A Star Is Born (1976), supporting Barbra Streisand as Ester Hoffman.
Throughout his acting career, he played a variety of characters, including Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Lone Star, and Blade.
In 1985, Kristofferson formed The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson.
“Every time I look at a picture of Willie and me, John and Waylon, I find it amazing that they let the janitor in there,” he told writer Mikal Gilmore, referring to his previous work at CBS’s Nashville studio.
The Americana Music Association honored Kristofferson with the Free Speech Award in 2003.
One year later, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He has earned other lifetime achievement awards, including from The Recording Academy, the Country Music Association, and the Academy of Country Music.
Kristofferson was survived by his wife Lisa, eight children, and seven grandchildren.
