Kris Kristofferson, the legendary and pioneering country music icon who captivated audiences in the 1976 remake of "A Star Is Born," passed away on Saturday at the age of 88. According to Variety on Sunday, Kristofferson was with his family at the time of his death, though no official cause was revealed.
Only a month before his death, the Golden Globe winner listed his ranch on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California for $17.2 million, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. He announced his retirement in a 2021 statement released by his management, sharing that he had gradually withdrawn from the public eye after entertaining them for over 60 years.
Death of a Legend
Kristofferson gained fame for his 1972 chart-topping hit "Why Me" and for writing "Me & Bobby McGee," which became a success when recorded by Janis Joplin shortly before her death in 1970.
According to PBS, Kristofferson once said his songs came "from the soul," describing his songwriting talent as a gift.
He also found success in film, portraying vampire hunter Abraham Whistler in the 1998 horror movie "Blade" and playing Ellen Burstyn's love interest in the 1974 Martin Scorsese drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Blade evolved into a successful trilogy, with the second film debuting in 2002 and the third in 2004. Kristofferson reprised his role as Whistler in each installment, serving as the mentor to Blade, played by Wesley Snipes.
Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson developed a love for music early in life. He remembered listening to country and Norteño music, as well as songs from Mexico and southern Texas, on local radio stations.
"I think it was the strongest influence in my life," Kristofferson said during a 2018 appearance on New Orleans public radio station WWNO.
"I spent about 11 years down there — my first 11 — and the border music, the Mexican music, it was just heart music, and the country music was the same," he continued. "I always felt that it was the Rio Grande Valley that got the music going in my brain."
A Born Genius
At the age of 11, Kristofferson penned his first song, "I Hate Your Ugly Face," as noted by PBS. He said that it was the closest he felt to writing a love song at that time. The ballad was eventually released in 2009.
Growing up, he moved frequently due to his father's career as an Army Air Corps officer, according to PBS. His family ultimately settled in San Mateo, California, a suburb of San Francisco, during his teenage years.
After graduating from high school in 1954, Kristofferson went to Pomona College in Claremont, where he played football. At just 18, he gained recognition when his work was published in The Atlantic Monthly after winning first prize in a short story contest. The stories were titled "Gone Are the Days" and "The Rock."
He focused on writing under the guidance of philosopher Dr. Frederick Sontag, who encouraged him to apply for a Rhodes scholarship. Kristofferson studied literature at the University of Oxford in England, graduating in 1960 before returning to California.
That same year, he married his high school sweetheart, Fran Beer, but they divorced in 1969, according to Wide Open Country.
Kristofferson began his military service in 1960, training as a helicopter pilot at Fort Rucker in Alabama, according to VA News. He later served in West Germany with the 8th Infantry Division.
Even while stationed in Germany, he continued to write songs and performed in a band with fellow soldiers, the outlet reported.
Upon returning from Germany, he received an offer to teach literature at the prestigious West Point. However, he declined after realizing he would need to create lesson plans, which intimidated him.
In 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville, where he left the Army with the determination to succeed in the music industry—and he certainly did. He took on tough night shifts as a janitor at Columbia Studios and handed out demo tapes of his songs to country music stars.
His career continued to take off as he penned songs for fellow legends like Johnny Cash, Ray Price, and Waylon Jennings, winning a Grammy Award in 1972 for "Help Me Make It Through The Night," which was performed by Sammi Smith.
Before her death in 1970, he had a brief romance with Janis Joplin, whom he met through their mutual friend, folk singer Bobby Neuwirth, according to Far Out Magazine. After they performed together in New York, they traveled to her home in California, which turned into a three-week trip.
Kristofferson found success in acting in 1976, playing John Norman Howard, a struggling rock star, in the third version of A Star Is Born.
Kristofferson starred alongside Barbra Streisand, who played his love interest, Esther Hoffman. Their film became the third highest-grossing movie of 1976, as noted by Vox. Although the film received mixed reviews and was generally panned by critics, it won a Golden Globe for "Best Motion Picture" in 1977, marking Kristofferson's first film award.
In 1985, he joined forces with Cash, Jennings, and Willie Nelson to form the iconic country supergroup "The Highwaymen." They released three studio albums: Highwayman (1985), Highwayman 2 (1990), and The Road Goes On Forever (1995), according to The Willie Nelson and Friends Museum.
Throughout his career, Kristofferson won several awards and recognitions.
He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2006. Additionally, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 2016, Kristofferson was diagnosed with Lyme Disease after years of being told by doctors that he had either Alzheimer's or dementia. He suffered significant memory loss.
