The world still hasn’t recovered from the tragic loss of one of country and folk’s finest songwriters and musicians, Kris Kristofferson. He lived a full and incredible life, and his music will live on forever in our ears and hearts. Kristofferson passed away on September 28, 2024, in his home in Hawaii. He was 88 years old.
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Kristofferson’s final performance took place in Los Angeles in April of 2023, which was preceded by his retirement from performing. In 2021, he announced that old age and concerns around the pandemic led to the choice to hang it up. But he still had a couple more performances left in him. Those performances took place at the Hollywood Bowl. And we’re all quite lucky that there are recordings of the event floating around. You can watch a clip of it below.
Kris Kristofferson’s Final Public Performance Might Choke You Up
Kris Kristofferson performed his final concert at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl in April of 2023. And the whole thing was quite a star-studded affair. In a way, that was quite appropriate. Kristofferson was loved and respected by his contemporaries, so it makes sense that his final performances before he passed away would involve other musicians like him.
A two-evening affair, the performances were put together to honor Willie Nelson, who also happened to be a longtime friend of Kristofferson, as well as his Highwaymen bandmate back in the day.
It was a big deal, considering Kris Kristofferson announced his retirement just a few years before then. In fact, until the Willie Nelson birthday bash, Kristofferson had not made a public appearance in about two years and had been struggling with health issues for a while. Fortunately, the world got to experience his magic one more time.
During the performance, he sang a stunning version of “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” with Johnny Cash’s daughter, Roseanne Cash. He was on the bill, but the performance still surprised those in attendance. Cash started the song herself before Kristofferson walked on stage to sing the rest of the song with her. It was an extremely emotional moment, and one that fans won’t soon forget.
The next evening, Kris Kristofferson performed a stunning rendition of “Help Me Make It Through The Night” with Norah Jones, which was similarly incredible.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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