AceShowbiz - Willie Nelson, now 91, has paid tribute to his late friend and longtime collaborator Kris Kristofferson, who passed away peacefully in his Maui home on September 28, 2024, at the age of 88. In an interview with the Associated Press, Nelson described Kristofferson as a "great songwriter" who left behind a legacy of "fantastic songs" for others to sing.

"He was a great friend of mine," Nelson said. "We just kind of had a lot of fun together and made a lot of music together-videos, movies. I hated to lose him. That was a sad time."

Kristofferson and Nelson were members of the legendary country supergroup the Highwaymen, which also featured Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. The band released three albums and toured extensively throughout the 1980s and 1990s. However, with the deaths of Jennings in 2002 and Cash in 2003, Nelson is now the sole surviving member of the group.

"If you just take the music part of it and go back to, you know, Waylon and Kris and John and, you know, all of us working together, the Highwaymen," Nelson told the AP. "And then I am the only one left. And that's just not funny."

Despite his age, Nelson continues to release new music and perform live. In November 2024, he released his 76th album, "The Last Leaf on the Tree", which features a cover of Beck's "Lost Cause" that Rolling Stone compared to Cash's iconic cover of "Hurt". Nelson has also remained active in political and social causes, recently appearing at a rally for Kamala Harris alongside Beyonce Knowles.

Nelson's reflections on Kristofferson's life and legacy are a testament to the deep bond and shared experiences they forged over the course of their long friendship and musical collaboration.