Musician and "A Star is Born" actor on Saturday at the age of 88, his family said. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,” Ebie McFarland, a spokesperson for the family, said in a statement to NBC News. “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.” Kristofferson's family did not share a cause of death. In the statement, they shared that he died "peacefully" at home.
The singer and his family had been open about some of his health struggles prior to his death. Here's what they've shared. Kristofferson began suffering from debilitating memory loss in his 70s, Reuters reported.
Initially, doctors thought it was due to either Alzheimer’s or dementia, article from 2016. He had played contact sports in his teenage years, which can increase risk of certain cognitive diseases. Rolling Stone reported that Kristofferson couldn't remember what he was doing from one moment to the next, and that he ended up writing a song about his memory loss.
“I see an empty chair/ Someone was sitting there,” the song's lyrics read. “I’ve got a feeling it was me/ And I see a glass of wine/ I’m pretty sure it’s mine.” In 2016, Kristofferson tested positive for Lyme disease, according to Rolling Stone.
Lisa Meyers, Kristofferson's wife, told Rolling Sto.