daniel chigunwe
HAWAII. – Tributes have been paid to Kris Kristofferson, the award-winning country singer and actor following his death at the age of 88.
Dolly Parton wrote: “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend.”
She finished her post on social media with the words “I will always love you”, a nod to one of her most famous songs.
Barbra Streisand said she “knew he was something special” the first time she saw him perform.
Kristofferson and Streisand went on to share top billing in the 1976 remake of the film A Star Is Born.
In the film, they sang together on love theme Evergreen, which won an Oscar for best original song, and Kristofferson won a Golden Globe for his acting.
Streisand also asked him to appear on stage with her in London’s Hyde Park in 2019.
“He was as charming as ever, and the audience showered him with applause. It was a joy seeing him receive the recognition and love he so richly deserved,” she wrote on Instagram.
Kristofferson was known for his songwriting, notably credited for Me and Bobby McGee, and Help Me Make It Through the Night, among others.
“He created a body of work that gave voice not only to his soul but to ours,” Country Music Hall of Fame chief executive Kyle Young said in a statement.
A representative for Kristofferson said he passed away “peacefully” at his home in Hawaii on Saturday, surrounded by family.
The statement described Kristofferson as “a peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a sex symbol, and a family man.”
A message from his family said they were all “so blessed” for the time they had 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,” said the message.
Adding her tribute, singer LeAnn Rimes a photo of the pair with the message: “An epic human with the biggest heart. You will be so, so missed. Rest easy, my friend.”
Melissa Etheridge added: “Loved this man, his talent, his mind and his beautiful heart.”
Reba McEntire wrote:
“What a gentleman, kind soul, and a lover of words. I am so glad I got to meet him and be around him. One of my favorite people. Rest in peace, Kris.”
Born in Brownsville, Texas, on 22 June, 1936, Kristofferson became a leading figure in country music.
“When I got started, I was one of the people hoping to bring respect to country music,” he said, according to the family message.
“Some of the songs I had that got to be hits did that. I imagine that’s why somebody might vote me into a Hall of Fame. I know it’s not because of my golden throat.”
Kristofferson studied writing at Pomona College in California and later went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He earned his masters from Oxford in 1960, then returned to the US and joined the army.
He was assigned by the military to teach literature, which he said “sounded like hell”.
In 1965 he visited Nashville, and within two weeks had resigned from his army post and moved to the country music hub to pursue his music career.
The head of the Country Hall of Fame and Museum said he left behind “a resounding legacy”. – BBC
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