Hard-Living Kris Kristofferson's Years of Alcoholic Agony Laid Bare: 'I Drank So Much My Liver Was Size of a Football… But I Still Drank Wine'

Late country music legend Kris Kristofferson candidly recalled his years of heavy drinking .

Knewz.com can reveal the singer-songwriter drank so much his “liver was the size of a football ” before he quit cold turkey – only to start drinking again later in life.

Kristofferson confessed he always had a “half-gallon of Jose Cuervo ” in his trailer that he “never” let go empty.

The Me and Bobby McGee songwriter passed away on September 28, aged 88, in Maui, Hawaii .

Prior to his death, Kristofferson lived the life of a rambling man, which he opened up about in an interview with The Guardian .

Kristofferson said: “I had a half-gallon of Jose Cuervo in my trailer and they never let it empty. They just kept coming back in and filling it up, same half-gallon bottle.”

He confessed he didn’t “know how much (he) was drinking” at the time “but it was a lot”.

So much so that he soon was advised to quit alcohol altogether in order to save his life.

Kristofferson said: “ Doctor said my liver was the size of a football and that if I didn’t quit, I was gonna kill myself.

“I had a new little daughter , so I quit.”

While the country singer kicked booze on his doctor’s orders, he revealed he still enjoyed a glass of wine in his 70s.

He added: “I drink wine today, but at the time I just went cold turkey. It was probably harder on the people around me than on myself.”

Kristofferson’s battle with alcohol abuse had “devastating” effects on his second marriage to Rita Coolidge.

Coolidge and Kristofferson tied the knot in 1973, the same year they won a Grammy for their duet on From the Bottle to the Bottom .

But by 1979, the union was in turmoil due to the Texas -born singer’s alcoholism and drug binges. They divorced that year.

He said: “When Rita and I split, it was devastating to me.

“It happened at the same time as (the panned movie ) Heaven’s Gate , and all the other disasters in my life.”

Luckily for Kristofferson, he was able to get a grip on his drug and alcohol abuse. He met and married his third wife, Lisa Meyers, in 1983.

While reflecting on the dark period and his divorce from Coolidge, he said: “But sometimes the end of something is the beginning of something else. I’ve been with my current wife, Lisa, for 21 years.”

Kristofferson’s cause of death has not been released.

His family announced his death in a statement, saying: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home.

“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.”