[News Figures] US 'Country Music Legend' Chris Christopherson

American singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson passed away at his home in Maui, Hawaii, his spokesperson announced on the 29th (local time). He was 88 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed, but it is known that he had been experiencing memory loss symptoms since his mid-70s.

Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, as the son of a general, Kristofferson majored in literature while playing football at Pomona College in California. He earned a master's degree in English literature from Oxford University in the UK and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, where he piloted helicopters. After leaving the army as a captain, he was scheduled to teach English literature at the United States Military Academy but changed his path to work as a composer and lyricist in Nashville. Later, he expanded his career as a singer-songwriter.

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He is known as a "legend of country music." He debuted in 1965 with the single "Vietnam Blues," embarking on a full-fledged career as a singer-songwriter. His hit songs include "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "For the Good Times." "Me and Bobby McGee," a hit song by Janis Joplin, who was once his lover, is also one of his signature songs. Kristofferson received two Grammy Awards while performing duets with singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge, whom he married in 1973. He stopped performing and recording after 2021. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2015.

He also worked as an actor from the 1970s. Kristofferson appeared in more than 50 films over 40 years. In 1974, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." In 1976, he starred in Frank Pierson's "A Star Is Born," for which he won a Golden Globe Award. He was also favored by director Sam Peckinpah.