Country Icon Kris Kristofferson Reveals He Retired in 2020

Country music icon, legendary songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson is now officially retired — and he has been since last year, it has been announced.

Revealed in a press release Wednesday (January 27), the 84-year-old artist decided to end his career in 2020. Kristofferson’s son, John, will now oversee business related to his father’s extraordinary song catalog, and Morris Higham Management (MHM) will look after Kristofferson’s estate. Together with longtime friend and public representative, Tamara Saviano, the team will continue to work “special projects” and celebrate a career which “redefined” the art of songwriting, while also running Kristofferson’s independent record label, KK Records.

“Kristofferson is the artist that every artist strives to be,” says MHM President and Partner Clint Higham. “He is an artist’s artist. If Mount Rushmore had a place for songwriters, Kris would be on it.”

“It’s been amazing to dig in to my dad’s catalog and history with this seasoned group of professionals. MHM and Tamara are experts on everything from old Nashville to the up and comers, and I can’t imagine a better partnership to bring the full depth of his songwriting to a new generation. The name has always been synonymous with songwriting as an art, and we’re excited to reintroduce his work to new and old fans alike,” John Kristofferson says. “We have many exciting projects in the works and I look forward to getting them out into the world.”

With a career that spanned more than 50 years, Kristofferson penned some of the most enduring songs in American music, including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Times” and “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” He was also an actor with leading roles in films like 1976’s A Star Is Born, which was recently remade with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but in recent years’ the artist’s memory had begun failing. In 2016 Kristofferson told Rolling Stone he believed it was caused by Lyme disease.

Leading a colorful life, Kris Kristofferson was also an Army Ranger, an Oxford scholar, a helicopter pilot, a Golden Gloves boxer and much more, as well as a member of The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He performed his final concert in January of 2020 on the Outlaw Country Cruise.