Updated Monday with Wesley Snipes’ statement, below:
Through music and film, Kris Kristofferson has left an indelible mark on fans over the past 60 years.
Following news of the Golden Globe and 3x Grammy winner’s death at age 88 on Sunday, friends and fans alike expressed their appreciation for his decades of talent with heartfelt tributes to Kristofferson.
Kristofferson’s family announced his passing with a statement on Instagram. “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,” they wrote.
Barbra Streisand, his co-star in the Oscar-winning 1976 remake of A Star Is Born, paid tribute to the country star on Instagram, writing that he was a “special” and “charming” performer. “It was a joy seeing him receive the recognition and love he so richly deserved,” she wrote.
Friend and collaborator Dolly Parton, with whom Kristofferson performed duets such as “From Here to the Moon and Back” and “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” stated, “What a great loss. What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly.”
Wesley Snipes, who acted alongside Kristofferson in the original Blade trilogy, in which the latter played his mentor, wrote in a Facebook post Monday: “Family Kristofferson, Pardon the delay. I was talking with GM Kris about how he learned me, by way of example, baritones have more fun, valor is cool, real fun and fame is having a beautiful family and It takes bravery to be a “good” human with so many “vampires” around. I told GM Kris, “Hey Whistler,” while on purpose, “you keep making those weapons—love, passion, skillmastery, and swag—and I’ll keep using them.” Always your ‘Student’ aka “the #Daywalker.”
Leann Rimes remembered Kristofferson on X as “an epic human with the biggest heart. You will be so, so missed. Rest easy, my friend.”
Kristofferson’s Outlaw Justice co-star Travis Tritt shared photos of their time together on set and over the years. “Sad to hear of Kris Kristofferson’s passing,” he wrote. “He was an inspiration to me and I was fortunate to get to know him on the set of Outlaw Justice that we filmed in Spain in 1998. My heartfelt condolences go out to Kris’s wife Lisa and all of his family, friends and fans.”
Reba McEntire wrote, “What a gentleman, kind soul, and a lover of words. I am so glad I got to meet him and be around him. One of my favorite people. Rest in peace, Kris.”
See the reactions and tributes below:
“Sunday morning just came down hard,” Patton Oswalt wrote on X.
