R.I.P.: Kris Kristofferson, Singer-Songwriter Changed Country Music

Kris Kristofferon (1936-2024)

He disliked being called a poet and thought, more or less accurately, that he sang like a barking bullfrog, but Kris Kristofferson did more to change country music than a legion of golden-throated balladeers, reports The LA Times.

“You can look at Nashville, pre-Kris and post-Kris,” Bob Dylan once said. “Because he changed everything.”

Meticulously crafting songs that were mournful and fatalistic without being mawkish, Kristofferson invited listeners to share the regrets of a man who let his lover slip away in “Me and Bobby McGee.” The ache of a lonely nighthawk seeking a friend to “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” Rolling Stone magazine said his influence ranged well beyond the confines of country music, calling him simply “one of the greatest songwriters of all time.”

The former Rhodes scholar and Army Ranger fashioned a second career as a leading man in Hollywood, co-starring with Barbra Streisand in a remake of “A Star Is Born,” for which he won a Golden Globe.

“He could dig for the simple truth of a character,” said John Sayles, who directed him as a ruthless lawman in “Lone Star.” Just as important, “Kris Kristofferson knows how to wear the boots.”

Beset with health problems, Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email shared with The Times. He was 88. McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family.