From 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' and 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' to 'Feeling Mortal,' Variety picks 10 Kris Kristofferson immortal classics.

“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” Joplin sang in her signature blues-rock yowl — perhaps the best-known piece of wisdom in Kristofferson’s very wise catalog. “Me and Bobby McGee” topped the Hot 100 in March 1971, less than six months after Joplin’s death at age 27.

Kris Kristofferson wrote some of the best songs in country music history. Here are five songs made famous by other artists.

Kris Kristofferson was a generational singer-songwriter whose craftsmanship made country music feel broader and deeper.

Kristofferson died Saturday at his home in Maui, Hawaii, a representative for Kristofferson confirmed to USA TODAY. A cause of death was not given. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather,

After years as a struggling songwriter, he found his voice with a direct, evocative style that launched his decades-long career as a musician, actor and activist.

We look at nearly a dozen No. 1 hits the late Kris Kristofferson earned during his career, as a songwriter and/or artist.