Kris Kristofferson once confessed he ‘never thought’ he would ‘live past 30’ – before changing hard-partying ways
Kris Kristofferson is remembered for his talents as a singer-songwriter and actor following his death at the age of 88 at his home in Maui, Hawaii.
His professional life, which spanned seven decades, was nearly cut short by his partying days as a musician and in Hollywood as a leading man and actor.
It turns out he was of the old-fashioned premise that real artists live on the edge with their lifestyle choices, including the use of mind-altering substances like alcohol.
‘I thought all serious artists were self-destructive. That anyone worth their salt would be out there living on the fringes,â the Brownsville, Texas resident said People in 1998.
He would finally have a moment of clarity in the late 1970s, inspiring him to curb his hard partying, after seeing his death scene in the first remake of A Star Is Born (1978), in which he plays a character similar to himself . -destructive days, together with co-star Barbara Streisand.
Kris Kristofferson, who passed away on Sunday, September 29 at his home in Maui, Hawaii, revealed in a 1998 interview with People that he never thought he would be over 30; it is seen in Nashville, Tennessee in October 2017
‘I thought all serious artists were self-destructive. That anyone worth their salt would live on the edge,â the Brownsville, Texas, native said, referring to his hard partying in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
It is believed that Kristofferson’s (born Kristoffer Kristofferson) heavy drinking habits escalated in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Around that time, he began a relationship with blues rock icon Janis Joplin, who had already built a reputation for her drinking and drug use.
“I don’t know what you call a love affair, but we were very close,” the To Beat The Devil star said of their romance. ‘I loved her sense of humor. I was drinking a lot at the time… And she tried to kick [heroin].’
The Piece Of My Heart singer would lose her battle with drugs and alcohol when she died in October 1970 aged just 27.
While he admitted that her death “torn me apart,” Kristofferson continued his heavy drinking to the point where he was a self-proclaimed “functioning alcoholic.”
âFor a few years it was Jack Daniels, then it was tequila, then it was whatever,â he said of his ever-changing drink of choice. “When I was performing, I couldn’t imagine getting up and doing that without drinking.”
As the years passed, Kristofferson eventually came to a crossroads where he could no longer maintain his liquor after seeing his death on screen in A Star Is Born (1976), in which he played the self-destructive rock star John Norman Howard. .
During Kristofferson’s heavy drinking days in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she hooked up with blues rock star Janis Joplin, whose substance abuse took her life in October 1970; the Pice Of My Heart star performing in New York in 1968
The Texas native began writing songs for himself and other artists after moving to Nashville in 1965, releasing 21 studio albums during his career.
In the heartbreaking scene, Streisand’s Esther Hoffman Howard character floats above Kristofferson as John in a field after he was killed in a car accident while driving under the influence.
âI remember feeling like this could very easily have been my wife and children crying for me,â he said of Streisand’s scene as rising star Esther Hoffman Howard. ‘That’s why I stopped drinking. I didn’t want to die before my daughter grew up.’
And like so many other stories about people who saw their lives take off after getting sober, the country crooner began to see the positive effects of his life changes when he met his future wife, Lisa Meyers, in 1982.
They quickly became an item after dropping the bottle and welcomed five children together, making a total of eight children for the Heaven’s Gate actor after having three from previous marriages.
Kristofferson was inspired to quit drinking alcohol after watching the character’s death scene in A Star Is Born, for which he played a hard-drinking rock star who dies in a car accident while drinking and driving.
âI remember feeling like this could very easily have been my wife and children crying for me,â he said of Streisand’s scene as rising star Esther Hoffman Howard. ‘That’s why I stopped drinking. “I didn’t want to die before my daughter grew up.”
After A Star is Born became a hit in 1976, the country star began to become increasingly known for his acting roles over the years and into the 1980s.
After leaving the military in 1965, Kristofferson moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music.
He would get one of his big breaks when he gave June Carter a tape of his music to give to her husband, Johnny Cash, which eventually led to the legendary Man In Black recording his song Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.
That led to Kristofferson winning the Songwriter Of The Year award for the song at the 1970 Country Music Association Awards.
The musician wrote songs for himself and other artists over the years, eventually becoming more known for his acting roles after A Star Is Born.
Some of his most notable films include Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star Is Born (1976), Convoy (1978), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Stage Coach (1986), Lonestar (1996) and the Blade trilogy (1998-2004).
The four-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Country star Tanya Tucker and beau Craig Dillingham got to spend some time with Kristofferson in their adopted home state of Hawaii last April: âSpending a little island time with a very special friend!!! Hello!
As he reflected on how he eventually found a peaceful family life in Maui, Hawaii, the Blade actor was both surprised and grateful at how it all turned out.
‘I could never have imagined this. I sit here and think about how things could have turned out so differently. I never thought I would live past thirty. I could have died.’
A representative for Kristofferson confirmed that he was surrounded by family when he passed away on Saturday.
âIt is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, September 28th. We are all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these years, and when you see a rainbow, know that he is smiling at us all.â â Kris Kristofferson’s family shared this when confirming his death over the weekend.