Barbra Streisand Leads Tributes To Kris Kristofferson

Trailblazing country music artist Kris Kristofferson died on Saturday, September 28. Following news of his passing, Barbra Streisand took to social media to share a tribute to the singer and actor, with whom she starred in 1976’s A Star is Born.

Kristofferson was 88 years old when he died surrounded by loved ones at home in Maui. No official cause of death has been named. But Kristofferson had said he would like the first three lines of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on the Wire” on his tombstone. They read “Like a bird on the wire / Like a drunk in a midnight choir / I have tried in my way to be free.”

Barbra Streisand pays heartfelt tribute to Kris Kristofferson, who she called “special”

On Sunday, 82-year-old Streisand shared a tribute post on Instagram celebrating Kristofferson and their remarkable shared history. “The first time I saw Kris performing at the Troubadour club in L.A. I knew he was something special,” recounted Streisand. “Barefoot and strumming his guitar, he seemed like the perfect choice for a script I was developing, which eventually became A Star Is Born.”

She continued, “In the movie, Kris and I sang the song I’d written for the film’s main love theme, ‘Evergreen.’ For my latest concert in 2019 at London’s Hyde Park, I asked Kris to join me on-stage to sing our other A Star Is Born duet, “Lost Inside Of You.” He was as charming as ever, and the audience showered him with applause. It was a joy seeing him receive the recognition and love he so richly deserved.”

Streisand concluded, “My thoughts go to Kris’ wife, Lisa who I know supported him in every way possible.”

A star to mourn

Kristofferson has a long history with other giants in the country music genre and across mediums of art. He was a longtime friend of Dolly Parton, who also mourned his passing in a social media tribute. “What a great loss,” Parton wrote in her post, which bears an image with the same text. “What a great writer. What a great actor. What a great friend. I will always love you, Dolly.”

Kristofferson and Parton, along with Willie Nelson and Brenda Lee, joined forces for The Winning Hand, a double -album comprised of updated and remastered performances by each respective artist. The two reunited in 2012 for the film Joyful Noise, their friendship as enduring as ever even all those years later.

Similarly, Reba McEntire paid tribute to Kristofferson on social media with an image of the two together. “What a gentleman, kind soul, and a lover of words,” McEntire said of Kristofferson. “I am so glad I got to meet him and be around him. One of my favorite people. Rest in peace, Kris.”