On This Day in 2024, the Music World Lost an Outlaw Country Pioneer and One of the Most Legendary Songwriters of All Time

On September 28, 2024, the incomparable singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson passed away at the age of 88. He died in his home in Hawaii, several years after he had announced his retirement from performing.

Videos by American Songwriter

His last performance was held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in April of 2023. There, Kristofferson performed with Rosanne Cash, the daughter of his friend and collaborator Johnny Cash, for Willie Nelson’s birthday (also a friend and collaborator).

Kris Kristofferson’s death rattled the music world. He was one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, and his work spanned far beyond just country music. And even music as a whole.

Kris Kristofferson’s Career Was as Rich as It Gets (And Went Far Beyond Country Music)

Kris Kristofferson was born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas. Kristofferson was known as one of the pioneering individuals in the outlaw country movement. Like his outlaw contemporaries, Kristofferson decided to move away from the polished sound of Nashville. Instead, he opted for the raw and honest songwriting associated with outlaw country. He penned more than a few hits in the late 1960s and 1970s, including “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through The Night”. He famously wrote “Me And Bobby McGee”, which was then posthumously made famous by Janis Joplin. Kristofferson was a three-time Grammy winner.

Kris Kristofferson was also known for his work in The Highwaymen, an outlaw country supergroup made up of Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. The group formed in the mid-1980s and produced a handful of albums until 1996. Today, Nelson is the only remaining living member of the iconic supergroup.

Outside of music, Kristofferson also enjoyed a successful acting career. He made his acting debut in The Last Movie from 1971, and went on to star in famous films like A Star Is Born from 1976 to the Blade trilogy in the late 1990s.

Kris Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award a decade later. He was an incredibly vulnerable songwriter, a distinct country music singer, an Army veteran, a college graduate, a talented actor, and a figure in popular culture and music that won’t be soon forgotten. RIP, legend.

Photo by Al Clayton/Getty Images