US country music star Kris Kristofferson dies, aged 88

Tributes have been paid to Kris Kristofferson, the award-winning nation singer and actor following his dying on the age of 88.

Dolly Parton wrote: “What a fantastic loss. What a fantastic author. What a fantastic actor. What a fantastic pal.”

She completed her submit on social media with the phrases “I’ll at all times love you”, a nod to one among her most well-known songs.

Barbra Streisand mentioned she “knew he was one thing particular” the primary time she noticed him carry out.

Kristofferson and Streisand went on to share prime billing within the 1976 remake of the movie A Star Is Born.

Within the movie, they sang collectively on love theme Evergreen, which gained an Oscar for finest unique track, and Kristofferson gained a Golden Globe for his appearing.

Streisand additionally requested him to seem on stage together with her in London’s Hyde Park in 2019.

“He was as charming as ever, and the viewers showered him with applause. It was a pleasure seeing him obtain the popularity and love he so hard-earned,” she wrote on Instagram.

Kristofferson was recognized for his songwriting, notably credited for Me and Bobby McGee, and Assist Me Make It Via the Night time, amongst others.

“He created a physique of labor that gave voice not solely to his soul however to ours,” Nation Music Corridor of Fame chief government Kyle Younger mentioned in an announcement.

A consultant for Kristofferson mentioned he handed away “peacefully” at his residence in Hawaii on Saturday, surrounded by household.

The assertion described Kristofferson as “a peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a famous person, a intercourse image, and a household man.”

A message from his household mentioned they had been all “so blessed” for the time they’d 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,” mentioned the message.

Including her tribute, singer LeAnn Rimes posted a photograph of the pair with the message: “An epic human with the largest coronary heart. You can be so, so missed. Relaxation straightforward, my pal.”

Melissa Etheridge added: “Liked this man, his expertise, his thoughts and his lovely coronary heart.”

Reba McEntire wrote: “What a gentleman, variety soul, and a lover of phrases. I’m so glad I obtained to fulfill him and be round him. One in every of my favourite individuals. Relaxation in peace, Kris.”

Born in Brownsville, Texas, on 22 June, 1936, Kristofferson grew to become a number one determine in nation music.

“After I obtained began, I used to be one of many individuals hoping to convey respect to nation music,” he mentioned, in keeping with the household message.

“A number of the songs I had that obtained to be hits did that. I think about that’s why anyone would possibly vote me right into a Corridor of Fame. I do know it’s not due to my golden throat.”

Kristofferson studied writing at Pomona School in California and later went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He earned his masters from Oxford in 1960, then returned to the US and joined the military.

He was assigned by the army to show literature, which he mentioned “gave the impression of hell”.

In 1965 he visited Nashville, and inside two weeks had resigned from his military submit and moved to the nation music hub to pursue his music profession.

The top of the Nation Corridor of Fame and Museum mentioned he left behind “a powerful legacy”.

“Kris Kristofferson believed creativity is God-given, and those that ignore such a present are doomed to unhappiness,” Kyle Younger wrote on X. “He preached that a lifetime of the thoughts provides voice to the soul, and his work gave voice not solely to his soul however to ours.”

He gained three Grammys for finest nation track, Assist Me Make It Via the Night time in 1972, and two separate duets with Rita Coolidge (1974, 1976), to whom he was married within the Seventies.

Kristofferson debuted as an actor as John Norman Howard in A Star Is Born reverse Streisand’s Ester Hoffman.

His appearing profession noticed him tackle quite a few roles, together with in Pat Garrett and Billy the Child, Lone Star, and the Blade franchise.

He was nominated for an Oscar in 1985 for finest unique rating for Songwriter, during which he co-starred with Willie Nelson.

The identical 12 months, Kristofferson and Nelson joined mates Johnny Money and Waylon Jennings to type a supergroup known as The Highwaymen.

“Each time I take a look at an image of Willie and me and John and Waylon, I discover it superb that they let the janitor in there,” he informed journalist Mikal Gilmore, referring to his former job at CBS’s Nashville studio.

In 2003, Kristofferson acquired the Free Speech Award from the Americana Music Affiliation.

A 12 months later, he grew to become a member of the Nation Music Corridor of Fame.

He additionally acquired a number of lifetime achievement honours, together with from The Recording Academy, the Nation Music Affiliation and the Academy of Nation Music.

Kristofferson is survived by his spouse Lisa, his eight youngsters, and 7 grandchildren.