Legendary country musician Kris Kristofferson has died at the age of 88. The star had a prolific music and acting career, including starring alongside Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born (1976), and appearing in Wesley Snipes’ Blade trilogy. The star’s family shared the sad news in a message on Instagram, in which they revealed that Kristofferson passed away on Saturday. The statement read:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home. We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
While best known as an iconic country singer/songwriter, Kristofferson’s career on screen was also one of great note. From the moment he made his acting debut in the 1971 Dennis Hopper film The Last Movie, he very quickly added a new string to his bow that would be almost as prolific as his roots in the world of music.
The Career of Kris Kristofferson
Born in1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson turned his back on pursuing either an academic career or one of military service, and instead chased his dreams of more creative ventures in Nashville. He established himself in the world of country music 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 movie debut, it was clear that another path was calling almost as strongly as that of music, and just two years after his appearance in The Last Movie, he found his breakout role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Kristofferson’s combination of a soulful voice and rugged looks soon 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 Barbra Streisand, Kristofferson won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role, which only saw his film roles grow in number throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
While Kristofferson continued to dabble in both film and music, he starred in a number of genre films in the 1990s and 2000s that endeared him to a new generation. The biggest of these was the 1998 Marvel movie Blade, in which he starred as 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 movies to star Kristofferson during this period include Mel Gibson’s action thriller Payback, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes, and Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal. In total, he appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows across his career.
Whether playing flawed characters on screen, delivering musical projects both in a solo capacity and as part of the country super-groups such as The Highwaymen, or even working with Stephen King on his musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, Kristofferson continued to work tirelessly until his retirement in 2021. His final live performance took place at the Sunrise Theatre in Florida in 2020.
Our condolences are with his family at this time. You can see some of the tributes paid to the star below.