Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros./Frank Mullen/WireImage via Getty
Topics: Music, News, Dolly Parton, Celebrity
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Music, News, Dolly Parton, Celebrity
Dolly Parton has paid tribute to Grammy-winning singer and actor Kris Kristofferson, who has died at the age of 88.
The US country music star and A Star Is Born actor died 'peacefully' at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday (September 28) surrounded by family, a representative confirmed.
"We’re all so blessed for our time with him," a family statement added. "Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all."
Kristofferson left an indelible mark on fans during his six-decade career, becoming a leading figure in country music winning the Grammy for best country song in 1972 for 'Help Me Make It Through the Night', as well as two Grammy-winning duets with his former wife Rita Coolidge in 1974 and 1976.
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He also graced the silver screen, winning a Golden Globe for his portrayal of destructive rocker John Norman Howard opposite Barbara Streisand’s Esther Hoffman in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born.
Sharing a tribute on Instagram, Streisand said that she 'knew he was something special' the first time she saw him perform.
Her tribute continued: "Barefoot and strumming his guitar, he seemed like the perfect choice for a script I was developing, which eventually became A Star Is Born."
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The film scored the Oscar for best original song, for the song titled 'Evergreen'.
Streisand went on: "In the movie, Kris and I sang the song I’d written for the film’s main love theme, 'Evergreen'. For my latest concert in 2019 at London’s Hyde Park, I asked Kris to join me on-stage to sing our other A Star Is Born duet, 'Lost Inside Of You'.
"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."
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Other notable roles include starring in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore in 1974 with Ellen Burstyn, as well as the 1979 drama Freedom Road with boxing champion Muhammad Ali and 1980’s Heaven’s Gate with Jeff Bridges and Christopher Walken.
He also starred in Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid, Lone Star, and the Blade franchise.
Among the musicians paying tribute to Kristofferson was fellow US country star Dolly Parton, whom he starred in 2012's Joyful Noise alongside.
She wrote on Instagram: "What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly."
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US singer and actress Reba McEntire posted an image of the pair laughing on stage, describing Kristofferson as 'one of my favourite people'.
"What a gentleman, kind soul, and a lover of words. I am so glad I got to meet him and be around him," she added.
LeAnn Rimes also described him as 'an epic human with the biggest heart' on her Instagram story.
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In 2004, Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The chief executive for the Country Music Hall of Fame, Kyle Young, wrote on Twitter at the time: "Kris Kristofferson believed creativity is God-given, and those who ignore such a gift are doomed to unhappiness.
"He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and his work gave voice not only to his soul but to ours. He leaves a resounding legacy."
Kristofferson is survived by his wife, Lisa, his eight children and seven grandchildren.