Inside Kris Kristofferson's 41-Year Love Story with Wife Lisa: 'This Is What Really Matters'

Mar. 15, 2025

Kris Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers.Photo:Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

When it came to love, the third time was the charm forKris Kristofferson.

The late actor and country legend found his happily ever after with wifeLisa Meyers, to whom he was married for 41 years before hisdeath on Sept. 28at age 88.

“I feel nothing but gratitude for being this old and still above ground, living with the people I love,” he toldNPRin 2013. “I’ve got eight kids, and a wife that puts up with everything I do, and keeps me out of trouble.”

Kristofferson was fresh off his second marriage, to singer Rita Coolidge, when he first met Meyers — then a law student at Pepperdine University — in 1982 at a Malibu gym.

Kris Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers attend the screening of “Cover Up - Behind the Iran-Contra Affair” on June 24, 1988 in Hollywood, California.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

In a move that theA Star Is Bornactorlater admittedwas “a ploy” to speak to Meyers, he asked to borrow a piece of equipment, and the rest was history. The pair tied the knot in February 1983, and went on to welcome kids Jesse, 40, Jody, 39, Johnny, 36, Kelly, 34, and Blake, 30.

“At the time, I was gun-shy about any relationship heavier than a one-night stand. The road had been my escape, going out and pouring it all into performing,” Kristofferson told PEOPLE in 1998 of meeting Meyers. “[But] as my family started getting bigger, it finally beat its way into my consciousness: ‘Wake up, man. This is what really matters.' "

The couple raised their children in Hawaii — and Kristofferson said in the same PEOPLE interview that moving to the islands and starting a family with Meyers was “the best move I ever made.”

Kris Kristofferson and Lisa Meyers attend the premiere of “Planet of the Apes” on July 23, 2001 in New York City.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

In Hawaii, they found a peaceful existence, and in a 2015 interview withLas Vegas Magazine, the Grammy winner said his daily routine included a “walk with my wife.”

As Kristofferson’s health deteriorated over the years (he was diagnosed with Lyme disease after previously beingmisdiagnosed with Alzheimer’sdisease and fibromyalgia), Meyers remained his biggest supporter — and became his fiercest advocate.

“We understand Kris’ deficits in spatial awareness and short-term memory loss and we laugh about it all the time,” she toldHuffPostin 2016. “The more we can get Kris to laugh, the healthier he is. Being on the road, the laughter, the music. It’s great medicine."

Lisa Meyers and Kris Kristofferson at a gala in New York in 2013.Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,” the family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

source: people.com