US country star Kris Kristofferson has died at the age of 88

Kris Kristofferson, the award-winning country singer and actor who worked with Johnny Cash and Martin Scorsese, has died aged 88.

A representative said he died “peacefully” on Saturday at his home in Hawaii surrounded by his family.

The statement described Kristofferson as “a peace activist, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a sex symbol and a family man.”

The multiple award winner was known for his songwriting, including “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He also starred in the hit film “A Star Is Born.”

A message from his family said they were all “so blessed” for the time they spent with him.

“Thank you for loving him all these many years and when you see a rainbow, know that he is smiling down on us all,” the message said, quoted by CBS News, the BBC’s US affiliate.

Born on June 22, 1936, in Brownsville, Texas, Kristofferson became a leading figure in country music.

“When I started, I was one of the people hoping to bring respect to country music,” he said, according to the family message.

“Some of the songs I had that could become hits did. I can imagine that's why someone could vote me into the Hall of Fame. I know it’s not because of my golden throat.”

The head of the Country Hall of Fame and Museum said he left behind “a resounding legacy.”

“Kris Kristofferson believed creativity was God-given and those who ignored such a gift were doomed to misfortune,” wrote Kyle Young on X. “He preached that a spiritual life gives voice to the soul, and gave his work her no voice.” only for his soul, but for ours.”

He won three Grammys for Best Country Song “Help Me Make It Through the Night” in 1972 and two separate duets with Rita Coolidge (1974, 1976), whom he was also married to in the 1970s.

In 2003, Kristofferson received the Americana Music Association's Free Speech Award.

A year later he became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

He has also received several lifetime achievement awards, including from the Recording Academy, the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.

Kristofferson is survived by his wife Lisa, his eight children and seven grandchildren.