Kris Kristofferson, the award-winning country singer and actor who collaborated with Johnny Cash and Martin Scorsese, has died at the age of 88.

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

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

The multi-award winner was known for his songwriting, most notably for Me and Bobby McGee and Help Me Make It Through the Night, among others. 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 had with him.

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

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 who hoped to bring respect to country music,” he said, according to the family report.

“Some of the songs I had that were supposed to be hits, they did. I imagine someone would vote me into a Hall of Fame because of that. I know it’s not my golden throat.”

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

“Kris Kristofferson believed that creativity is God-given, and those who ignore such a gift are doomed to misfortune,” wrote Kyle Young on X. “He preached that a life of the mind gives voice to the soul, and his work gave no voice to the soul. 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 Free Speech Award from the Americana Music Association.

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

He also received multiple lifetime honors, 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.