Who was Kris Kristofferson married to? All about his wives as country star dies aged 88

Country singer and actor Kris Kristofferson passed away at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at the age of 88. His family announced the news of his death through a tribute posted on the singer's Instagram account on Sunday. The family hasn't made any official statement or revealed the cause of death.

All of Kristofferson's family members signed his death announcement, which stated that they were all "blessed" for their time with him. They also thanked his fans for "loving him" all these years.

"Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all," they said.

Kris Kristofferson's daughter, Kelly, shared a verse from her father's song From Here to Forever, which was released in his twentieth studio album Closer to the Bone. She shared the verse on Saturday, marking the song's 14th year since its release on September 28, 2009.

"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," the verse read.

Kris' first marriage was with Frances Beer, and they had two kids together, Tracy and Kris Jr. He was then married to singer Rita Coolidge and had one child, Casey Kristofferson. At the time of his death, he was married to Lisa Meyers Kristofferson, and they had five children together, Jesse, Jody, Johnny, Kelly, and Blake.

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A look into Kris Kristofferson's marriage to Fran Beer, Rita Coolidge, and Lisa Meyers

Kris Kristofferson married his longtime partner Frances Beer in 1960 and the couple went on to have two children together. Kris and Frances' first daughter, Tracy, was born in 1962, followed by their first son, Kris Jr., in 1968, a year before the couple divorced.

The late country singer is reported to have had a brief romance with Janis Joplin before her tragic passing in 1970. He then met his second wife, Rita Coolidge, in 1971 on a flight they boarded from LA to Memphis. Rita told People about their first encounter in an interview in 2016. She said that she liked to say that it was "love at first flight" for them.

"We literally talked all the way to Memphis," she added.

Rita Coolidge said the singer was originally supposed to get down in Nashville, but he decided against it and got off the plane with her. The All Times High singer added that before they went to sleep that night, they "picked out a name for [their] first child." She noted that "there was no doubt" that they were going to be together.

Kris and Rita tied the knot in 1973 and had their daughter Casey Kristofferson the following year. The former couple worked on several projects together, including their Grammy-winning songs From the Bottle to the Bottom in 1974 and Lover Please in 1976. However, they ended things and got a divorce in 1980.

In her 2016 memoir Delta Lady, Rita Coolidge further reflected on her "volatile" marriage to Kris Kristofferson. She revealed details on how disloyalty and drinking habits affected their relationship.

"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," Rita wrote.

She added that although she didn't think she was abusive to him, he might have felt that she was. Rita noted that the volatility wasn't something that happened "all the time," but that it was enough that she cried every day, stating that it was "not a good way to live."

Kristofferson's ex-wife also wrote that after their divorce, she "didn't ask for anything from him." However, Rita Coolidge clarified that she had no intent to put Kris in a bad light in her memoir, claiming she had "always loved him."

Kris Kristofferson met his third wife Lisa Meyers at a gym in Malibu in 1982 while she was studying law at Pepperdine University. The late singer revealed the two were exchanging looks while at the gym, and in his attempt to start a conversation with Lisa, he borrowed equipment from her.

According to People, Kris opened up about meeting Lisa in an interview with the Irish Independent. He said that he was a single father at the time and told her that he took his daughter to school and then picked her up, before going and doing "what she wants to do." The country singer claimed that he didn't have "room for anything else," which was how the relationship between him and Lisa began.

Kris Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers walked down the aisle in 1983 and remained married for 41 years until the singer's death on Saturday. They had five children during their marriage.

Kris Kristofferson expressed his gratitude for his loving family during a 2013 NPR interview.

"I've got eight kids, and a wife that puts up with everything I do, and keeps me out of trouble," he said.

Kris Kristofferson told People in 1998 that he was not into commitments when he met Lisa. However, as they started a family together and it began growing, he said he had eventually realized it was what "really" mattered to him.