Kris Kristofferson — the tough yet weary country music singer/songwriter behind “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” as well as the rugged leading man featured in romances like “A Star is Born” (1976) and westerns like “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” — has died at 88. He passed away in his home in Maui, Hawaii. A statement released by his family reads, “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.” A proud son of South Texas, Kristofferson was also a military brat who often hopped around before finally settling in San Mateo, California. He went on to attend Pomona College where he excelled in rugby, American football, and track and field.
At one point, he was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in literature and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to The University of Oxford in London, where he continued with rugby, as well as boxing, and also started writing songs. After graduating with a Bachelor of Philosophy in 1960, under pressure from his family, Kristofferson joined the U.
S. Army, starting out as a helicopter pilot before attending Ranger school. He was ultimately stationed in West Germany before being given an assignment to teach English at West Point.
Turning the job down, Kristofferson pursued a career in music, a choice that led to his family.