‘A Gentleman, Kind Soul, and Lover of Words’: Tributes to Kris Kristofferson Pour In

Other tributes came in from LeAnn Rimes, who called Kristofferson an “epic human with the biggest heart”; Wynonna Judd, who celebrated Kristofferson as “one of my favorite people on the planet” on Instagram Stories; and Travis Tritt, who cited Kristofferson as an “inspiration” and spoke about getting to know him on the set of the 1999 film Outlaw Justice (also known as The Long Kill). 

“This one hurts,” wrote Trisha Yearwood. “The word legend gets tossed around a lot but with Kristofferson the shoe fits. These are shoes that won’t be filled. Rest easy.”

And George Strait said, “Artists and songwriters of this caliber come along very rarely and he certainly made his mark on the world. My family, like most people, were huge fans and we will all miss him. I knew him on a professional level only but I always felt like it was more because of the kindness and respect he showed me on the times we met. I’ll treasure those times forever. He lived one heck of a life and I’m hoping it has only just begun for him. God bless Kris and all of the Kristofferson family.”

Of course, plenty of additional tributes poured in from outside the world of country music. Tom Morello celebrated Kristofferson’s tireless work as an activist, and Melissa Etheridge tweeted, “Loved this man, his talent, his mind and his beautiful heart.” Songwriter Diane Warren noted Kristofferson’s many achievements as a musician, a Rhodes scholar, and actor, while also adding, “not to mention criminally handsome.” And Chuck D shared a portrait of Kristofferson, calling him “one helluva Songwriter.”

From the world of acting, tributes came in from Kristofferson’s many co-stars like Dakota Fanning, who worked with Kristofferson on the 2005 movie Dreamer. “This legend was so good to me when we worked together,” Fanning wrote on Instagram Stories. “What an honor to have spent time in his presence.” 

Josh Brolin, who worked with Kristofferson on the 1993 movie Paper Hearts, called him a, “Poet, lovely human being, road scholar redneck old schooler,” before sharing lyrics from his 1971 classic “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again).” 

And John Cusack called Kristofferson “a true great. Brilliant songwriter singer actor activist. Warrior for justice.” He added: “You never had to wonder what side of the line he was on. He was always in the intelligent human soulful space — come hell or high water. A man and artist I deeply respected.”