US star Kris Kristofferson is dead

He is considered one of the most important songwriters of all time, writing hits for Janis Joplin and Elvis. He was also successful in Hollywood: US musician Kris Kristofferson died on Saturday. He was 88 years old.

The American country musician and actor Kris Kristofferson is dead. He died on Saturday at the age of 88 at his home on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. This was announced by the family spokeswoman. Kristofferson passed away peacefully and surrounded by his family, she said. A cause of death was not given.

“We are all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years and when you see a rainbow, know that he is smiling down on all of us,” the family’s statement continued . It was given on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife Lisa, his eight children and seven grandchildren.

Most important songwriter of all time

Kristofferson was considered one of the most important songwriters of all time. His songs have been sung by music legends such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin and Ray Charles. He was also successful in film and television.

The grandson of Swedish immigrants was born in 1936 in Brownsville in the very south of Texas. He studied at Oxford, UK, on ​​a scholarship for gifted students and initially wanted to become a writer. When he was unsuccessful, he became a helicopter pilot in the US military and was stationed in Bad Kreuznach (Rhineland-Palatinate) from 1962 to 1965.

On stage with Bob Dylan

Then he went to the stronghold of country music, Nashville. Kristofferson soon found himself on stage alongside Bob Dylan, writing hit after hit, including “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He won three Grammys: for best country song and for two duets with Rita Coolidge, to whom he was married from 1973 to 1980.

He also became a celebrated film star. In the 1970s, he starred with Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974). In 1977, he won a Golden Globe Award alongside Barbara Streisand for playing a dissolute rock star in “A Star is Born.” In Sam Peckinpah’s 1973 western “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” he played the role of the notorious outlaw alongside James Coburn.

“Leaves a resounding Legacy”

In 2004 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum executive director Kyle Young wrote on Platform Spirit gives a voice to the soul, and his work gave a voice not only to his soul, but also to ours. He leaves a resounding legacy.”