Legendary country musician Kris Kristofferson has died at the age of 88. The star had a prolific musical and acting career, notably starring opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (1976) and in Wesley Snipes’ Blade trilogy. The star’s family shared the sad news in a post on Instagram, revealing that Kristofferson died on Saturday. The statement read:
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at our home. We are all very lucky to spend time with him. Thank you for loving him all these years, and when you see a rainbow, know that it smiles on all of us.
Although best known as an iconic country singer-songwriter, Kristofferson’s on-screen career has also been notable. From his acting debut in Dennis Hopper’s film, The Last Movie (1971), he quickly added a new string to his bow which was almost as prolific as his roots in the world of music.
Kris Kristofferson’s career
Born in 1936 in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson turned his back on an academic or military career and instead pursued his dreams of more creative endeavors. He established himself in the country music world with a string of hits including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” However, after making his film debut, it was clear that another path called to him almost as strongly as that of music, and just two years after his appearance in The Last Movie, he found his breakthrough role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Kristofferson’s combination of a soulful voice and rugged look quickly led him to many other roles, such as Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and his best-known role in the 1976 version of A Star is Born. Playing a faded rock star alongside Barbara Streisand, Kristofferson won a Best Actor Golden Globe for his role, which only saw his number of film roles multiply during the 1970s and 1980s.
As Kristofferson continued to dabble in film and music, he starred in a number of genre films in the 1990s and 2000s that endeared him to a new generation. The most prominent of these was the 1998 Marvel film Blade, in which he played the grizzled vampire hunter Whistler, who became responsible for training Wesley Snipes’ titular Daywalker. He also appeared in Blade II and Blade Trinity. Other notable films starring Kristofferson include Mel Gibson’s action thriller Payback, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes and Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal. In total, he has appeared in over 100 films and television shows during his career.
From playing flawed characters on screen, to doing musical projects both solo and as part of country supergroups such as The Highwaymen, to even working with Stephen King on his musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, Kristofferson continued to work tirelessly until his retirement in 2021. His last live performance took place at the Sunrise Theater in Florida in 2020.
Our condolences go out to his family at this time. You can see some of the tributes to the star below.
