Dylan Martinez/Reuters
By Bill Friskics-Warren
Sept. 29, 2024
Kris Kristofferson, the singer and songwriter
whose literary yet plain-spoken compositions infused country music
with rarely heard candor and depth, and who later had a successful
second career in movies, died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on
Saturday. He was 88.
His death was announced
by Ebie McFarland, a spokeswoman, who did not give a cause.
Hundreds of artists have recorded Mr.
Kristofferson’s songs − among them, Al Green, the Grateful Dead,
Michael Buble and Gladys Knight and the Pips.
Mr. Kristofferson’s breakthrough
as a songwriter came with “For the Good Times,” a bittersweet ballad
that topped the country chart and reached the Top 40 on the pop
chart for Ray Price in 1970. His “Sunday Morning Coming Down” became
a No. 1 country hit for his friend and mentor Johnny Cash later
that year.
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