Kris Kristofferson

Outlaw country singer-songwriter and actor of the 1970s.

Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, known for a raw, introspective style that moved away from the polished Nashville sound. His songs, including "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night," became hits for other artists.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Kristoffer Kristofferson

Born

22 June 1936

Birthplace

Brownsville, Texas, U.S.

Died

28 September 2024

Place of death

Hana, Hawaii, U.S.

Education

Pomona College (BA)
Merton College
Oxford (BPhil)

Occupation

Singer
musician
songwriter
actor

Years active

1959–2021

Facts from the source article.

Life and career

Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, the oldest of three children. His father, a U.S. Army Air Corps officer who later became a major general in the Air Force, encouraged him to pursue a military career. The family moved frequently due to his father's service, eventually settling in San Mateo, California, where Kristofferson graduated from San Mateo High School in 1954. At 17, he worked a summer job with a dredging contractor on Wake Island.

He attended Pomona College as a literature major, studying under Frederick Sontag, and his early writing included prize-winning essays published in The Atlantic. He appeared in Sports Illustrated in 1958 for achievements in rugby, football, and track, and helped revive the Claremont Colleges Rugby Club. Graduating summa cum laude in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. That same year, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Merton College, Oxford.

While there, he signed with Larry Parnes, who promoted him as "a Yank at Oxford." In early 1959, he recorded for Top Rank as "Kris Carson," but those recordings were unsuccessful. He earned a master's degree in English literature in 1960.

Personal life

Kristofferson married Frances "Fran" Mavia Beer in 1961; they divorced in 1969. He briefly dated Janis Joplin before her death in October 1970. His second marriage, to singer Rita Coolidge, lasted from 1973 to 1980. He married Lisa Meyers in 1983.

The couple owned a home in Las Flores Canyon in Malibu, California, and also lived in Hana, Hawaii from 1990 until his death. He had eight children: two from his first marriage, one from his second, and five from his third. Kristofferson opposed the Gulf War and Iraq War and criticized U.S. military interventions including the invasion of Panama and support of the Contras and the apartheid government in South Africa. He endorsed Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign and Ross Perot's 1992 campaign.

His debut album included a pro–Vietnam War song, but he later became an opponent of the war after speaking with returning soldiers. He called himself a "dove with claws" and remained proud of his military service. In a 1991 interview, he condemned media support for the Gulf War. He supported the United Farm Workers and campaigned with Cesar Chavez for Proposition 14, continuing to play benefits for the UFW through the 2010s.

In 1987, he played a benefit for Leonard Peltier. In 1995, he dedicated a song to Mumia Abu-Jamal at a Philadelphia concert and was booed. He performed benefits for Palestinian children and said he found less work as a result. At a Bob Dylan anniversary concert after Sinéad O'Connor's 1992 Saturday Night Live protest, he showed solidarity with her when she was booed.

Death

On September 28, 2024, Kris Kristofferson passed away at his Hana, Hawaii home at age 88. His family declined to release a cause of death. He had chosen the opening three lines of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" for his tombstone. Public tributes came from family, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, and Ashley McBryde.