Kris Kristofferson, country music legend and Blade star, dies aged 88

Grammy Award-winning nation artist and actor Kris Kristofferson has died on the age of 88, his household have confirmed.

The US entertainer, who starred in movies together with the Blade trilogy and Planet of the Apes, died “peacefully” at his dwelling in Maui on Saturday, surrounded by his household.

“It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we share the information our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, handed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at dwelling,” Kristofferson’s household mentioned in a press release shared with US retailers.

“We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thanks for loving him all these a few years, and if you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

Beginning within the late Nineteen Sixties, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such classics requirements as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Assist Me Make it By the Night time,” “For the Good Instances” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Kristofferson was a singer himself, however lots of his songs had been greatest generally known as carried out by others, whether or not Ray Value crooning “For the Good Instances” or Janis Joplin belting out “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Together with his lengthy hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a brand new breed of nation songwriters together with such friends as Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T Corridor.

He was effectively revered inside the trade, with Nelson himself declaring at an occasion in 2009: “There’s no higher songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson. Every thing he writes is an ordinary and we’re all simply going to should dwell with that.”

Kristofferson was the recipient of many awards, together with 4 Grammys. He received Finest Nation Track in 1971 for “Assist Me Make It By The Night time,” and Finest Nation Efficiency by a Duo or Group twice with Rita Coolidge, who he was briefly married to, in 1973 and 1975 respectively.

In 2014 he was additionally awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his longstanding contributions to the music trade.

He retired from performing and recording in 2021, making solely occasional visitor appearances on stage.

In a 2006 interview with The Related Press, Kristofferson revealed he owed his profession largely to fellow legendary singer, Johnny Money.

“Shaking his hand after I was nonetheless within the Military backstage on the Grand Ole Opry was the second I’d determined I’d come again,” Kristofferson mentioned.

“It was electrical. He sort of took me below his wing earlier than he minimize any of my songs. He minimize my first document that was document of the yr. He put me on stage the primary time.”

Other than his wildly profitable music profession, Kristofferson was additionally a prolific Hollywood star, showing on each the large and small display with different A-list names.

He starred reverse Ellen Burstyn in director Martin Scorsese’s 1974 movie “Alice Doesn’t Dwell Right here Anymore,” Barbra Streisand within the 1976 “A Star Is Born,” and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s “Blade” in 1998. He later reprised his position as Abraham Whistler in later movies.

Kristofferson is survived by his spouse, Lisa; his eight kids, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and his seven grandchildren.