Brandi Carlile pays tribute to Kris Kristofferson in a heartfelt new post, stating, “I will never forget him.”

Eleven-time Grammy winner and Americana music icon Brandi Carlile has shared a heartfelt tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson, who passed away on Saturday, September 28, at the age of 88.

In an Instagram post on Monday, September 30 2024, Carlile expressed her emotions, saying, “Just sitting in a hotel cafe and crying into my coffee today… Yesterday I didn’t know how to talk about the passing of Kris Kristofferson. My feelings about it can’t be contained in these kinds of micro expressions. I know we need them, though; celebrating someone’s life on social media is both righteous and necessary. It’s emotionally galvanizing for our community and helps us process the loss of a great man. But I have to admit, it is hard to grieve this here. I’m missing my friends today.”

Kristofferson appeared in the 2012 music video for Carlile’s song “That Wasn’t Me,” and she was part of his backing band in 2016. Reflecting on their time together, she said, “I had the profound pleasure and honor of being in Kris’s band for a little while. The [Hanseroth] twins and I will never forget that shine we stood in when we played music next to him.” She recalled how Kristofferson believed in her early on, agreeing to act in her music video about addiction and forgiveness—“for free, by the way.” She never inquired why he chose to do it.

Carlile fondly remembered Kristofferson’s chuckle and the twinkle in his eye when she asked for his thoughts on The Highwomen, the country supergroup she formed with Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, and Natalie Hemby, inspired by The Highwaymen, which included Kristofferson.

they also collaborated on the song “A Case of You,” featured on the tribute album *Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration*. Carlile expressed gratitude, stating that Kristofferson and his wife Lisa “literally brought me to Joni” and “changed my life in countless ways over the last fifteen years.”

Concluding her tribute, she wrote, “I will never forget him and I’ll never forget a single shot of whisky with him,” and offered her condolences to Kristofferson’s family, saying, “What a ride, Kristoffersons! I hope you know we all love you so… and we are so grateful for the years you gave us with your once-in-a-lifetime man.”

.

Read Carlile’s full tribute to Kristofferson below.