The country singer and songwriter, who died on Saturday at 88, tucked enduring aphorisms into tales about facing up to loss.

Imagine writing a song as good as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” It must have felt like building the Brooklyn Bridge with your bare hands. “There’s something in a Sunday that makes a body feel alone,” the ballad’s demolished narrator sings through his hangover as he embarks on a weekend stroll in the direction of the void.

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,

Kris Kristofferson, who became one of the most influential American singer-songwriters of his time with works such as "Me and Bobby McGee," as well as a successful actor, died Saturday at the age of 88,

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.