Kris Kristofferson Dies, Aged 88

Award-winning country singer and actor Kris Kristofferson, star of films such as Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid and A Star Is Born, has sadly died at the age of 88, it has been confirmed. The news was announced by Kristofferson's family on his official Instagram account last night, with a statement reading as follows: “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.”

Born to Mary Ann and Lars Henry Kristofferson in Brownsville, Texas on 22 June, 1936, Kristoffer Kristofferson's pursuit of the creative arts began at a young age. Whilst his father's service in the U.S. Air Force seemed certain to push Kristofferson into a military career, and the multi-hyphenate would at one time serve as a second lieutenant stationed in West Germany in the early 60s, in his formative years a young Kris wrote prize-winning essays for The Atlantic Monthly, attained a BA in Literature from California's Pomona College, and — when not out on the track, playing American football, or getting his knees dirty as a budding rugby player — began writing songs whilst studying on a scholarship at Oxford University.

Having broken through as a singer-songwriter penning hits for the likes of Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, Ray Price, and Sammy Smith in the early 70s, scoring several top 10 country albums of his own in the process, Kristofferson — with his sky-blue eyes, trademark beard, and oozingly cool persona — soon turned his attention towards a second act in his creative life as an actor. After making an impressive debut starring opposite Gene Hackman in 1972 crime drama Cisco Pike, Kristofferson's screen career took off, with the budding actor making a slew of powerhouse turns in Sam Peckinpah movies Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia, and Convoy, as well as portraying the romantic lead of Paul Mazursky's Blume In Love and Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

Perhaps most famous amongst Kristofferson's filmography is Frank Pierson's 1976 version of A Star Is Born. As washed-up rock'n'roll legend John Norman Howard, a character at one point set to be played by Elvis Presley, Kristofferson is on mercurial form, bringing a lived-in sense of world weariness, abundant sex appeal, and magnetic charm to Barbra Streisand's ill-fated beau. It was with this role that Kristofferson won a richly deserved Best Actor Golden Globe, spurring the star on to further, increasingly ambitious projects such as Michael Cimino's oft-maligned but recently (deservingly) reappraised Western epic Heaven's Gate.

Heading into the 90s and 00s, Kristofferson continued to work consistently on both the big and small screen, with standouts of this period in his career including a deliciously dark turn as sadistic redneck sheriff Charlie Wade in John Sayles' Lone Star, a trifecta of commanding performances as vampire hunter Abraham Whistler in the Blade movies, and an unmistakable voice-over as the narrator of Todd Haynes' surreal Bob Dylan picture I'm Not There. Trying to cherry pick noteworthy turns from Kristofferson — who earned over 120 credits in film and television whilst carving out a path as one of America's all-time great singer-songwriter — is a fool's errand, but whether playing a gunslinger, a rockstar, or Miss Piggy's singing partner, Kris Kristofferson never failed to make a lasting impression.

Since the announcement of Kristofferson's death, tributes have poured in from far and wide. His A Star Is Born co-lead Barbra Streisand took to Instagram to recall the rocker being on "charming as ever" form when the duo shared the stage in London's Hyde Park back in 2019. Fellow singer-songwriter Dolly Parton touchingly remembered "a great writer, a great actor, a great friend" on X, saying "I will always love you." And Kristofferson's Blade II director Guillermo del Toro added his own personal tribute, hailing "a true and tried humanist and a stand up fella," a man he describes affectionately as being "principled, funny and absolutely no-nonsense."

Kris Kristofferson will be remembered for his fierce artistry, his fearlessness as a performer, and his incredible depth of humanity, which shines through in his interviews, his music, and — of course — the movies he made and TV shows he appeared on. He will be missed, and our thoughts are with his friends, family, and loved ones at this difficult time.