Country music legend and Hollywood star Kris Kristofferson has died aged 88, his family has announced.
Kristofferson, a Grammy Award-winning country music legend and star of films such as Blade and Planet of the Apes, died at his home in Maui on Saturday, September 28, surrounded by his family.
“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,” a statement on behalf of Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa; his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly and Blake; and seven grandchildren, read on Kristofferson’s official Facebook page.
“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 Family of Kris Kristofferson.
“The family asks for privacy during this time.”
Aside from his wildly successful music career which began in the late 1960s, Kristofferson starred in a number of Hollywood films, including Martin Scorsese’s 1974 romantic comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and with Barbra Streisand in 1976 musical romantic drama A Star Is Born.
Later, Kristofferson played Abraham Whistler in Marvel’s Blade film trilogy alongside Wesley Snipes, Karubi in 2001’s Planet of the Apes, and, in his final role, Edwin Fuller in Ethan Hawke’s 2018 biographical drama film based on the life of country musician Blaze Foley.
Guillermo del Toro, who directed 2002’s Blade 2, tweeted to say Kristofferson was “a true and tried humanist and a stand up fella. Principled, funny and absolutely no-nonsense. Our brief and intense time on Blade 2 was full of lessons to be learned. What a gent! Rest in Peace, oh great one!”
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 29, 2024 Kristofferson also had two notable video game roles: Ned White in Activison’s 2005 Western-themed action game Gun, and Chief Hanlon in Obsidian’s 2010 post-apocalyptic adventure Fallout: New Vegas.
In a tweet, Dolly Parton wrote: “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly.”
In an Instagram post, Barbra Streisand said she “knew he was something special” the first time she saw Kristofferson perform.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
