Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kris Kristofferson was an iconic country singer, songwriter, and actor. His career in the entertainment business began in 1959, and he retired in 2021, meaning his life in showbiz spanned over sixty years and occurred in a whopping eight decades.
As a recording artist, Kristofferson released 18 studio albums, four live albums, six collaborative albums, five compilation albums, 25 singles as a solo artist, and six singles with Rita Coolidge.
As per IMDb, he appeared on both the big and small screen as an actor. His movie credits include Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) and Blume in Love (both 1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star is Born (1976), Convoy (1978), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Songwriter and Flashpoint (both 1984), Pharaoh’s Army (1995), Lone Star (1996), Girls’ Night (1998), the Blade trilogy (1998-2004), Payback (1999), and Planet of the Apes (2001).
On television, Kristofferson’s wide-ranging credits include The Muppet Show, Amerika, Dead Man’s Gun, Lives of the Saints, Handy Manny, Texas Rising, and a variety of made-for-TV films, including The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James and Stagecoach (both 1986), Miracle in the Wilderness and Christmas in Connecticut (both 1992), Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story (1995), Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (2000), and 14 Hours (2005).
Kristofferson won numerous awards, including five Grammys and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical, for his performance in A Star is Born. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score for writing the music for 1984’s Songwriter but lost out to the mighty Prince for his tremendous work on Purple Rain.
But there was so much more to Kristofferson than his talent for entertaining people. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, excelled in several sports, served in the military, taught English literature, dated Janis Joplin, married three times (including a seven-year marriage to Rita Coolidge), and fathered eight children.
Sadly, on Sep. 28, 2024, Kristofferson passed away in Hana, Hawaii. He was 88. But do we know what happened?
How did Kris Kristofferson die?
![Kris Kristofferson - "For the Good Times" [Live from Austin, TX]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a5Zo-uGskPk/hqdefault.jpg)
As per Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for Kristofferson, Ebie McFarland, confirmed the star’s death, saying that the “artist, singer, songwriter, actor and activist … passed away peacefully in his home in Maui, Hawaii … surrounded by family.”
At this point, that’s as much information as has been disclosed publicly. A cause of death is not currently available. However, we’ll update you as new information emerges.
Tributes poured in from around the entertainment world, including one from Kristofferson’s longtime friend and occasional collaborator, Dolly Parton, who took to X to write a heartfelt post about him. Parton highlighted what a loss Kristofferson’s death is, what a talented man he was, and what a good friend he was to her. She ended the post by poignantly telling him she would always love him, referencing one of her most famous songs. In the meantime, may the legendary Kris Kristofferson rest in peace.
