Kris Kristofferson , who has died aged 88, was among the most prolific artists of his generation. In a career spanning six decades, he released 18 studio albums along with compilation records, live albums and collaborative works. A renowned country singer, he was admired for the grit and vulnerability of his songwriting, perhaps most notably in his forlorn, wearisome 1972 tune “Why Me”, which topped the US country charts.
Alongside a successful music career, Kristofferson won critical praise and several awards for his work as an actor. He received a Golden Globe for Best Actor when he starred in the 1976 film A Star is Born, opposite Barbra Streisand, two years after he worked with Martin Scorsese on the romcom Alice Doesn’t Live Here Any More. But Kristofferson always saw himself first and foremost as a songwriter, as he told The Guardian in a 2008 interview: “None of the other stuff would ever have happened if it wasn’t for the songwriting.
“I’ve come to appreciate how special a song is compared to other art forms, because you can carry it around in your head and your heart and it remains part of you.” He added: “It just comes as natural as a bird to me, always did. It’s the way singer-songwriters make sense of our lives.
” Here are five songs you might not have realised were written by Kristofferson. Written by Kristofferson with writer and musician Shel Silverstein, this track was originally recorded by rock’n’roll star Jerry Lee Lewis and feature.