Kris Kristofferson performed at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party concert in April 2023, and following his death, it became his final live performance.
The legendary Kris Kristofferson passed away on Sunday, September 29 at the age of 88. His sudden passing made us think about all his incredible performances and the last time he ever graced the stage.
On April 29, 2023, Willie Nelson hosted a 90th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
It was a two-day celebration that included performances from the likes of Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg, Ziggy Marley, Rosanne Cash, Kacey Musgraves, and Chris Stapleton. Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah also performed!
Kris Kristofferson was not billed as a performer, so it was a huge surprise when he walked on stage to join Rosanne Cash during “Lovin’ Her Was Easier,” which Kris wrote and recorded and has since been released by Roger Miller, Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, and Mark Chesnutt.
She had already garnered a huge round of applause when she walked on stage to sing, but when Kris joined her on that iconic stage, the audience went completely
Rosanne and Kris re-worked the lyrics to be “Lovin’ You Was Easier” to make it work for a duet.
Despite Kris sounding a bit aged and not what he used to, fans were appreciative of him just being there at all. He and Rosanne sang together the entirety of the song, but she let him sing the last few lyrics. The crowd once again went wild.
Kris saluted to the crowd and as Johnny Cash’s daughter walked him off the stage, he gave the occasional thumbs up to fans, or held his hands to his heart in gratitude.
Sadly, this became the final live performance he ever gave.
Prior to this, the last time he sang on stage was in January 2020 at the Outlaw Country Cruise. The next time he was seen publicly was at the 2022 Country Music Hall of Fame induction on behalf of his friend Jerry Lee Lewis.
Just two months before their onstage collaboration, Kris supported Rosanne at her Palm Desert show at the McCallum Theatre. Perhaps this was where they chatted about their future collaboration!
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Following Kris’s death, Rosanne shared several photo of her with her dear friend and wrote,
“Here was a man. A man I knew most of my life. A piece of my heart and family history. I expected he’d leave the planet fairly soon but it doesn’t change the magnitude of the loss. And yet we will always have him— his enormous legacy, his resonant spirit, the lasting power of his authenticity, his staggering gifts as a poet— in word, on screen, in his being. For the last several decades, there was no Kris without Lisa and her beauty and steadfastness is a constant inspiration. I send you all my love, Lisa. Travel safe, dear brother. I will always love you.”
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Watch Kris and Rosanne’s performance below.