By the time he was 30, Kris Kristofferson had studied literature at Oxford and flown helicopters in the US Army, before alienating his family by quitting to pursue his dreams.
He admitted he felt like an “old has-been” – but the country music legend hadn’t even got started yet. Kris, who has died aged 88, went on to redefine a whole genre, energising the Nashville scene with his raw, honest storytelling.
He then reinvented himself again, becoming a beloved star of the silver screen. Fellow music legend Steve Earle admiringly called him a “hyper-literate hillbilly”, while bandmate Johnny Cash said: “He had a way of making you feel every ounce of pain and redemption in a song.”
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And in the words of one of his most famous numbers, Me and Bobby McGee, recorded by Janis Joplin just weeks before her death: “Feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues.” Born the son of a US Air Force major general in Brownsville, Texas, in 1936, Kris’s life path seemed laid out for him.
He attended California’s Pomona College before later enrolling at Oxford University, where he studied English literature before following his dad into the military. "I boxed in Golden Gloves at Oxford and still know how to throw a straight left jab,” he once said – but boxing could not temper the restlessness inside him.
To the disgust of his family, Kris walked away from a promising military career to pursue his love of music. For a while, his shocked parents disowned him. "Not many cats I knew bailed out like I did,” he once said, and, “I always thought they knew I was going to be a writer. But I think they thought a writer was a guy in tweeds with a pipe. And I quit and didn’t hear from them for a while.”
Kris settled in Nashville in the mid 1960s and worked as a caretaker at Columbia Studios while trying to emulate his country music heroes. He said: “I turned 30 as a janitor. Hank Williams died when he was 29. All my peers were at least ten years younger than I was. I felt like an old has-been.”
But his big break was not far away. Johnny Cash recorded Kris’s ode to the hangover, Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down, in 1970, earning him the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year. According to legend, Kris landed a helicopter in Johnny’s front yard and refused to leave until he had listened to his tape.
Then Me and Bobby McGee – a bittersweet anthem of love, loss, and freedom – blended folk, rock, and country elements and helped establish Kris’s reputation. t was leant extra poignancy when Janis, who had dated Kris, died aged 27 from an overdose on October 4, 1970.
His songs were often hits for other artists – such as 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' by Gladys Knight & the Pips, 'Once More With Feeling' by Jerry Lee Lewis and 'The Taker' by Waylon Jennings. But Kris was an accomplished performer too, and joined Johnny, Waylon and Willie Nelson in supergroup The Highwaymen.
“I heard Willie say it was the best time of his life,” Kris said in 2005. “For me, I wish I was more aware how short of a time it would be.” If Kris had stopped at music, his legacy would still have been assured – but in 1972, he brought his rugged charm to Hollywood.
In 1976, he starred opposite Barbra Streisand in 'A Star is Born', for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor. His work in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) and Rollover (1981) showcased his versatility.
In 1998, he gained a new generation of fans with his role as Whistler in the Blade films, with Wesley Snipes. He struggled with alcoholism during much of the 1970s and 1980s and spoke candidly about hitting rock bottom. “There were times I didn’t think I’d make it,” he admitted. “But my music, my family, they pulled me through.”
His marriages to high school sweetheart Fran Beer and singer Rita Coolidge had collapsed, but third wife Lisa Meyers stood by his side through his recovery. Together, they had five children, in addition to the three from his previous relationships. Kris once said: “I’ve got eight kids, and they’re always laughing. It’s like music to my ears.”
He died peacefully on Saturday at his home in Maui, Hawaii. Barbra, 82, paid tribute to her former co-star, saying: “The first time I saw Kris performing, I knew he was something special. Barefoot and strumming his guitar, he seemed like the perfect choice for A Star Is Born.”
Country legend Dolly Parton, 78, duetted with Kris on 'From Here to the Moon' and 'Back and Put It Off Until Tomorrow'. She said: “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend.”
