Barbara Streisand and Dolly Parton led the tributes to the late country legend Kris Kristofferson, who passed away aged 88.
Kristofferson died peacefully at his home in Maui, Hawaii last Saturday, surrounded by his family, according to a statement shared by the singer’s representative.
“We’re all so blessed for our time with him,” the statement read. “Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all”.
Kristofferson enjoyed a hugely decorated career, which spanned six decades, a career which included several Grammy Award wins, coming in 1972 with his track Help Me To Make It through The Night winning Best Country Song.
Two duets with his former wife Rita Coolidge also saw Kristofferson win Grammy Awards in 1974 and 1976.
A Golden Globe also arrived for his role as John Norman Howard alongside Barbara Stresiand’s Esther Hoffman in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born.
Tributes Paid To Kris Kristofferson
Leading the tributes to Kristofferson, Barbara Streisland said that “I knew he was something special”, the first time she saw him perform on stage.
She 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”.
“In the movie, Kris and I sang the song I’d written for the film’s main love theme, Evergreen”, she added. “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”.
“great loss”
Elsewhere Dolly Parton who shared several famous duets with Kristofferson over the years, including ‘From Here to the Moon and Back’, and ‘Put It Off Tomorrow’, shared this message on social media.
“What a great loss”, Parton wrote on Instagram.
She also added: “What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly”.
US singer LeAnn Rimes also called Kristofferson “an epic human with the biggest heart”, while chief executive of Country Music Hall of Fame, Kyle Young also added that the singer, “believed creativity is God-given, and those who ignore such a gift are doomed to unhappiness”.
He also wrote: “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”.
In 2004, Kris Kristofferson was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The singer is survived by his wife Lisa, his eight children and seven grandchildren.
