I don’t think we’re going to catch a break anytime soon – people are leaving this earth at an alarming rate. Some come with a nod of resignation while others register shock. It’s been one of those years and the passing earlier today of Kris Kristofferson still comes as a shock, even at the age of 89.
The following is an excerpt from my friend and colleague Chris Morris who wrote this obit for Daily Variety earlier this evening – I use it with permission and am grateful as always:
Kris Kristofferson, who attained success as both a groundbreaking country music singer-songwriter and a Hollywood film and TV star, died Saturday at home in Maui, Hawaii. No cause of death was given, but he was described as passing away peacefully while surrounded by family. He was 88.
Said his family in a statement, “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 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.” The statement was offered on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa; his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and his seven grandchildren.
Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said, “Kris Kristofferson believed to his core that creativity is God-given, and that those who ignore or deflect such a holy gift are doomed to failure and unhappiness. He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and then he created a body of work that gave voice not only to his soul but to ours. Kris’s heroes included the prize fighter Muhammad Ali, the great poet William Blake, and the ‘Hillbilly Shakespeare,’ Hank Williams. He lived his life in a way that honored and exemplified the values of each of those men, and he leaves a righteous, courageous and resounding legacy that rings with theirs.”
Kristofferson had already spent several modestly successful years in Music City’s song mills by the time he broke through as the author of such No. 1 country hits as “For the Good Times” (Ray Price, 1970), “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (Johnny Cash, 1970) and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (Sammi Smith, 1971). His song “Me and Bobby McGee” became a posthumous No. 1 pop hit for his former paramour Janis Joplin in 1971.
Among his final public appearances, Kristofferson participated in duets on both nights of the Willie Nelson 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023, singing “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” with Roseanne Cash on the first night and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” with Norah Jones on the second. Of his pairing with Cash, which was arguably the most moving moment of either night, Variety‘s reviewer wrote, “Kristofferson’s voice wasn’t built for sweet harmony singing even in the best of days. But how sweet it was, regardless, as Cash gave her spiritual uncle all the support he needed to make this sad memory song feel like a warm, communal hug.”
Bob Dylan held Kristofferson in such high regard that he quoted “Sunday Morning Coming Down” at length in an unexpectedly long speech accepting an award from the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Foundation in 2015.
Speaking about other songwriters, Dylan said, “Everything was all right until — until — Kristofferson came to town. Oh, they ain’t seen anybody like him. He came into [Nashville] like a wildcat, flew his helicopter into Johnny Cash’s backyard like a typical songwriter (laughter). And he went for the throat: ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’:
Well, I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad
So I had one more for dessert
Then I fumbled through my closet
Found my cleanest dirty shirt
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.
“You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris,” Dylan said, “because he changed everything.”
You can read the full obituary here at Daily Variety.
Here, by way of tribute is a solo performance from the KCET series Boboquivari from August 25, 1971.
Rest in Peace – you made a huge difference.
