THE entertainment world is mourning the loss of Kris Kristofferson, a celebrated performer who scaled the heights of both country music and film.
Kristofferson died peacefully on Saturday surrounded by family at his home in Hawaii. He was 88.
Throughout his 60-plus years in music, the US superstar wrote a stream of major hits including Me and Bobby McGee, which posthumously became Janis Joplin's most iconic song.
His other best-known songs include Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down, For The Good Times, and Help Me Make It Through The Night.
In the '80s Kristofferson joined fellow country outlaws Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to form the supergroup, The Highwaymen. The 91-year-old Nelson is the sole surviving member.
In the '70s Kristofferson also became a Hollywood star, and delivered a Golden Globe-winning performance in A Star Is Born (1976) opposite Barbara Streisand. He also appeared in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Convoy (1978), Lone Star (1996) and Blade (1998).
Kristofferson last performed in Newcastle in September 2019 at the Civic Theatre. The Newcastle Herald's Jim Kellar reviewed Kristofferson's 2014 performance at the venue.
Kris Kristofferson, still packing mighty punch
By Jim Kellar
I'M glad I got to see Kris Kristofferson play live. I just wish it had been 40 years earlier. There are no singer-songwriters that I know of who are still in their prime at age 77.
Kristofferson's efforts were admirable, his attitude gracious. There was no attempt to deceive: it was simply Kris and his six-string guitar and harmonica for the opening set.
He reeled off 15 songs in 45 minutes in that first set.
His voice was genuine, his timing dramatic. You could almost feel the emotional weight in silence from the first song, Shipwrecked in the Eighties.
The crowd, a great many of his generation, were on his side from the first note.
Even a few catcalls and shout-outs. They were hanging on every word, and even though many of his tunes are short, they are poetic and personal.
In the final stanza of Me and Bobby McGee, he offered, "Feelin' good was good enough for me, Janis, and Bobby McGee".
The second set featured Kristofferson's daughter, Kelly, and a surprise appearance by Charlie Owen.
There is no doubt about the quality of his songs, that's why he's a legend. Long may his words live.
