Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor who brought gritty realism to country music, has died at 88

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes clever clever pinch a deft penning style and unsmooth charisma who became a state euphony superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.

Kristofferson died astatine his location successful Maui, Hawaii connected Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said successful an email. He was 88.

McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No origin was given. He was 88.

Starting successful nan precocious 1960s, nan Brownsville, Texas autochthonal wrote specified classics standards arsenic “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make it Through nan Night,” “For nan Good Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Kristofferson was a vocalist himself, but galore of his songs were champion known arsenic performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning “For nan Good Times” aliases Janis Joplin belting retired “Me and Bobby McGee.”

He besides starred other Ellen Burstyn successful head Martin Scorsese’s 1974 movie “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” starred other Barbra Streisand successful nan 1976 “A Star Is Born,” and acted alongside Wesley Snipes successful Marvel’s “Blade” successful 1998.

Kristofferson, who could singing William Blake from memory, wove intricate people euphony lyrics astir loneliness and tender romance into celebrated state music. With his agelong hairsbreadth and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a caller breed of state songwriters on pinch specified peers arsenic Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.

“There’s nary amended songwriter live than Kris Kristofferson,” Nelson said during a November 2009 grant ceremonial for Kristofferson held by BMI. “Everything he writes is simply a modular and we’re each conscionable going to person to unrecorded pinch that.”

As an actor, he played nan starring man other Barbara Streisand and Ellen Burstyn, but besides had a fondness for shoot-out Westerns and cowboy dramas.

He was a Golden Gloves boxer and shot subordinate successful college, received a master’s grade successful English from Merton College astatine nan University of Oxford successful England and turned down an assignment to thatch astatine nan U.S. Military Academy astatine West Point, New York, to prosecute songwriting successful Nashville. Hoping to break into nan industry, he worked arsenic a part-time janitor astatine Columbia Records’ Music Row workplace successful 1966 erstwhile Dylan recorded tracks for nan seminal “Blonde connected Blonde” double album.

At times, nan fable of Kristofferson was larger than existent life. Cash liked to show a mostly exaggerated communicative of really Kristofferson, a erstwhile U.S. Army pilot, landed a chopper connected Cash’s section to springiness him a portion of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” pinch a brew successful 1 hand. Over nan years successful interviews, Kristofferson said pinch each respect to Cash, while he did onshore a chopper astatine Cash’s house, nan Man successful Black wasn’t moreover location astatine nan time, nan demo portion was a opus that nary 1 ever really trim and he surely couldn’t alert a chopper holding a beer.

In a 2006 question and reply pinch The Associated Press, he said he mightiness not person had a profession without Cash.

“Shaking his manus erstwhile I was still successful nan Army backstage astatine nan Grand Ole Opry was nan infinitesimal I’d decided I’d travel back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He benignant of took maine nether his helping earlier he trim immoderate of my songs. He trim my first grounds that was grounds of nan year. He put maine connected shape nan first time.”

One of his astir recorded songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written based connected a proposal from Monument Records laminitis Fred Foster. Foster had a opus title successful his caput called “Me and Bobby McKee,” named aft a female caput successful his building. Kristofferson said successful an question and reply successful nan magazine, “Performing Songwriter,” that he was inspired to constitute nan lyrics astir a man and female connected nan roadworthy together aft watching nan Frederico Fellini film, “La Strada.”

Joplin, who had a adjacent narration pinch Kristofferson, changed nan lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and trim her type conscionable days earlier she died successful 1970 from a supplier overdose. The signaling became a posthumous No. 1 deed for Joplin.

Hits that Kristofferson recorded see “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “A Song I’d Like to Sing” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”

In 1973, he joined chap songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet profession that earned them 2 Grammy awards. They divided successful 1980.

He retired from performing and signaling successful 2021, making only occasional impermanent appearances connected stage.