Kris Kristofferson, star of movies and country music, dies at age 88

Kris Kristofferson, who rode a smooth voice and gritty charisma to stardom in Hollywood and country music, has died at the age of 88.

Kristofferson died at his home on Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, his family told The Associated Press. No cause was given.

A Rhodes Scholar from Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson wrote and sang country classics like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Help Me Make it Through the Night” while helping stars like Janis Joplin and Ray Price score hits on the charts.

“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” Willie Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony honoring Kristofferson. “Everything he writes is a standard and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”

Kristofferson also graced the big screen opposite Ellen Burstyn in director Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and Barbra Streisand in the 1976 hit “A Star Is Born.”