Kris Kristofferson’s wife of 41 years, Lisa Meyers, and his eight kids released an emotional statement on September 29, the day after the singer-songwriter died.
“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,” the family said in a statement posted to Kristofferson’s Instagram page.
“Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
His daughter Kelly Kristofferson also posted a picture of her dad touching a rainbow and wrote,
And darling if we’re not together
There’s one thing I want you to know
I’ll love you from here to forever
And be there wherever you go.
According to Variety, the first statement was from Kristofferson’s wife, Lisa Meyers, and his eight children, Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John, Kelly, and Blake, as well as his seven grandchildren.
According to Variety, the singer died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, at age 88, but the cause of death was not given.
Meyers was Kristofferson’s third wife and the mother of five of his children.
Here’s what you need to know about Kris Kristofferson’s wife and kids:
1. Kris Kristofferson Met His 3rd Wife Lisa Meyers at a Malibu Gym, Reports Say
GettySinger-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and wife Lisa Meyers.
According to People Magazine, Kristofferson met Meyers right after his second marriage to singer Rita Coolidge failed. She was a law student at Pepperdine University and they met in 1982 “at a Malibu gym,” People reported.
In 2013, he told NPR, “I feel nothing but gratitude for being this, you know, old and still above ground, living with the people I love. I’ve had a life of all kinds of experiences – most of them good. And I’ve got eight kids; and a wife that puts up with everything I do, and keeps me out of trouble.”
In 2004, he told the Irish Independent that he “thanks God every day” for his wife Lisa and his kids.
People offered tributes on Kristofferson’s Instagram comment thread after his family posted the statement. “This man was a giant. He was a brilliant singer/songwriter (give ‘To Beat The Devil’ a listen, it’s incredible) and an underrated actor,” one person wrote. “He was generous with his fame, instrumental in helping a couple of unknowns like John Prine and Steve Goodman get their first record deals.”
“Rest easy Kris. Thank you for your spirit, your songs, your spirit, your compassion, and courage. You are one of the greatest songwriters of all time and singing with you at Newport was my favorite musical moment ever. Sending love to Lisa and the family, ❤️” wrote another person.
2. Kris Kristofferson Had Kids With 2 Other Wives & 5 Kids With Lisa Meyers
GettyHusband and wife musicians Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson.
Kristofferson had children with three different women, all of whom he married, People reported.
His first wife, Frances Beer, was his “high school sweetheart,” and they had daughter Tracy and son Kris Jr. together, People reported, adding that the couple divorced.
His second wife was Coolidge, with whom he had a daughter Casey during a seven-year marriage, People reported. According to the Irish Times, in a memoir, Coolidge later described their marriage, which ended in divorce, as “volatile” and impacted by drinking and infidelity.
“People were fascinated with us as a couple,” she said, according to The Irish Times. “My intention was never to vilify Kris in this book and I don’t believe that I did. I think I made it clear how much I care about this man, how much I’ve always loved him.”
According to the Irish Times, she said, “I was a recording artist. I was making an album every year or two and I think that’s what he wanted really more than anything, but the films just kept coming at him and he made the choice.”
And she added: “He might feel that I was abusive to him. I don’t think I was. It was not all the time. It was just enough that I cried every day, and that’s not a good way to live. When we divorced I didn’t ask for anything from him.”
He began dating Lisa Meyers in 1983 and they eventually had five kids together – Daughter Kelly Marie and sons, Jesse, Jody, Johnny, and Blake, People reported.
3. Kris Kristofferson’s Kids Have Gone Into Music, Professional Wrestling, the Law & Other Pursuits
In 1982, Kristofferson’s daughter Tracy was “seriously injured” in a motorcycle crash involving Olympic gold medalist Eric Heiden, The New York Times reported. Both were students at Stanford University, The Times reported, quoting Kristofferson as saying, “My daughters mean everything in the world to me.”
Today her IMDb profile lists Tracy Kristofferson as an actress and producer.
According to Wide Open Country, Kris Kristofferson Jr. was born in 1968. Despite his famous name, he has lived a private life, the site reported.
Like her dad and mom, Casey Kristofferson is a singer who is part of the Casey Kristofferson band. “The Casey Kristofferson Band is a collection of musicians from North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee who blur the line between classic country and a more contemporary sound,” the band’s website says.
“Casey Kristofferson is no stranger to the stage, she has been sharing it with her parents and extended family for years. Her first tour was at 7 weeks old with parents Kris and Rita, and since then the road has simply become a part of her,” Casey’s bio says.
Jesse Kristofferson is an actor who starred in “Bloodline” and the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” according to IMDB.
Jody Kristofferson wrestled professionally for WWE under the name Garrett Dylan, according to his wrestling bio. “Jody Ray Kristofferson (May 21, 1985) is a retired American professional wrestler who was previously contracted by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling on the training rosters Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and later NXT,” the bio says.
Johnny Kristofferson is a California attorney who graduated from Pepperdine, according to The State Bar of California.
On Instagram, Kelly Kristofferson identifies herself as a writer, blogger, and wife of a painter. Wide Open Country reports that she is also a singer and actor.
Wide Open Country says Blake Kristofferson also graduated from Pepperdine but little is known about him.
4. Kris Kristofferson Described How He Initially Told Lisa Meyers That He Didn’t Have Room for a Woman in His Life, Reports Say
GettyKris Kristofferson and wife Lisa Meyers.
Kristofferson told the Irish Independent that his kids with Meyers brought him “back into contact with” his “first kids” and they’re all “as close as you could be.”
According to the Independent interview, when he first met her, “I was a bachelor father at the time and I told her: ‘I take a little girl to school and I pick her up at the end of the day and then we go do whatever she wants to do and I haven’t got room for anything else.’ That’s how it all started for Lisa and me!”
He continued:
We met at the gymnasium and we were looking at each other and I borrowed a piece of equipment off her, which was a ploy, I guess, because I saw something there that was promising. But when she suggested we go for a run I went into that whole tap dance I just told you about! And after I finished she just said . . .’Listen, I just want to go for a run!’ But she has been a real blessing because we both value the family as much as anybody could.
5. Kris Kristofferson Described Having a Family With Meyers as ‘the Best Move I Ever Made’
Heavy/GettyKris Kristofferson, in 2017
Kristofferson told People Magazine that he warmed up to the idea of having a marriage and family.
“At the time, I was gun-shy about any relationship heavier than a one-night stand. The road had been my escape, going out and pouring it all into performing,” Kristofferson told People in 1998, describing his mindset when he first met Meyers. “[But] as my family started getting bigger, it finally beat its way into my consciousness: ‘Wake up, man. This is what really matters.’ ”
According to People, Kristofferson and Meyers moved to Hawaii and raised kids there, and he said deciding to settle down with her was “the best move I ever made.”
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