Kris Kristofferson, an actor whose 50+ year career on screen was eclipsed by his legacy as a singer/songwriter, has passed. A representative for the star said he was surrounded by family when he died “peacefully” at his home in Maui on Saturday. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home. We’re all so blessed for our time 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,” his family said in a statement. No cause of death was announced.

Kristofferson’s career is the stuff of legends. A Rhodes Scholar, an officer, Ranger and helicopter pilot in the US Army, he left the military to take a shot at a career in music. After becoming one of the most sought after songwriters in Nashville (“Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Me & Bobby McGee,” “For The Good Times,” “Help Me Make It Through The Night” to name just a few of his legendary songs) he became a star in his own right, with pop and country smashes including the million selling “Why Me.”

At around the same time, Kristofferson started acting, with a 50+ year career in film that included roles in films like “Convoy,” “A Star Is Born” (for which he earned a Golden Globe award), “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” the “Blade” trilogy, Tim Burton‘s “Planet Of The Apes” and many more. In 1985, Kristofferson teamed up with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to form the supergroup Highwaymen, who released three albums together.

Kristofferson received just about every accolade a musician can achieve before his retirement in 2021: GRAMMYs, CMA and ACM awards, and he’s a member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the Country Music Hall Of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Kris Kristofferson was 88.

Source: People