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The news of country music legend and actor Kris Kristofferson’s death on September 28, 2024, was particularly significant for longtime Hallmark star Kristoffer Polaha, who shared in an Instagram post the following day that he was named after the three-time Grammy winner.
On September 29, after Kristofferson’s family posted a statement on his death at age 88, Polaha shared what it meant to him to be connected to the star by name, explaining, “My sweet mom spelled my name with a K and two f’s because of this man.”
“I’ve known of him my whole life and loved his music and movies,” Polaha continued. “Because of this connection I was told story after story, throughout my life, from people who knew Kristofferson, of how Kris moved through the world in a very special way. He’s a legend and a class act.”
Kristoffer Polaha Passed Up Chance to Connect With Kris Kristofferson Years Ago: ‘Silly Me’
In his tribute, Polaha shared how much he wishes he could have met Kristofferson. But the silver lining, he said, is that his wife, Julianne Polaha, was once able to tell Kristofferson about their common bond.
“The closest I ever got to meeting Kris Kristofferson was during an elevator ride at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2003,” Polaha recalled. “I had just met Robert Duval, who Kris was in town to support, and I wanted to whip out my driver’s license and say ‘See that spelling? Thats because of you!’, but I didn’t want to embarrass the girl I was with, I was trying to play it cool. So I didn’t meet him. Silly me.”
“The cool part is,” Polaha continued, “I later married that girl and SHE did a few years later and told him that story and it afforded them a moment of bonding and me the promise of a warm ‘hello’ if Kris and I were to ever cross paths again.”
“We never did,” Polaha concluded. “RIP Kris, I’m honored to carry on the spelling.”
Fans and friends flooded Polaha’s post with comments, including Hallmark star Benjamin Ayres, who hadn’t heard about Kristofferson’s passing and commented, “Oh no! Love this man. You got namesake gold my brother.”
One of Polaha’s fans wrote, “I had wondered about the spelling of your name and his. You’ll meet him … in Heaven,” to which Polaha replied, “Amen.”
Another fan chimed in, “Great story ❤️ I know one day you will finally meet and you tell him just how much he meant to you 🙌”
Kris Kristofferson’s Family Encourages Fans to Think of Him When They See a Rainbow
In Kristofferson’s family’s statement, they told his legions of fans, “Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
According to Variety, the first statement was from Kristofferson’s wife of 41 years, Lisa Meyers, and his eight children and seven grandchildren.
His daughter Kelly Kristofferson also posted a photo of her dad reaching his hand out to look like he was touching a rainbow. In her post, she included some of the lyrics from one of the many songs he wrote, “From Here to Forever.”
“And darling if we’re not together
There’s one thing I want you to know
I’ll love you from here to forever
And be there wherever you go”
Kristofferson first made a name for himself as a prolific songwriter in Nashville in the early 1970s. According to Variety, number one hits he penned included Ray Price’s “For the Good Times,” Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and Janis Joplin’s smash hit “Me and Bobby McGee.”
He also released several of his own albums and won three Grammys. His final studio album, “The Cedar Creek Sessions,” was released in 2016 and he officially retired from music in 2020.
Meanwhile, Kristofferson was also a busy Hollywood actor for many years. His breakout role was in the 1976 remake of “A Star is Born,” in which he earned a Golden Globe, according to People, for his portrayal of rock star John Norman Howard opposite Barbra Streisand. The movie was famously remade again in 2018 with Bradley Cooper in that role.
Streisand paid tribute to Kristofferson in a lengthy social media post after his death, writing that when they reunited at a concert in London’s Hyde Park in 2019, “he was as charming as ever, and the audience showered him with applause. It was a joy seeing him receive the recognition and love he so richly deserved.”
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