Feb. 21, 2021
After more than 50 years of touring, acclaimed singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson has quietly retired to his longtime home in Maui, Hawaii.
“His health is good,” Kris’ manager Tamara Saviano exclusively tells Closer Weekly, explaining that the decision was brought about by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “He’s enjoying time with his family.”
Retirement doesn’t mean Kris, 84, has gone into hiding. He and his wife, Lisa Meyers, 64, raised their five children in Hana, on Maui’s east end, and continue to be very involved in the community. “They are wonderful go-to people,” Hana School Principal Rick Paul says of the couple, who have donated generously to their school system. “They bought the high school computers, wrote checks for fundraisers,” he confides.
While Kris may never return to touring around the world, he often performs with local musicians at unannounced shows on the island. “Tourists would do a double-take,” reports local journalist Tad Bartimus. “I once watched a fellow off a tour bus stare at Kris for 10 minutes, then turn to his wife and say, ‘Naw, that’s not him. What would he be doing out here in this wilderness?’ ”
In 2014, Kris’ doctors began treating him for dementia, although he was actually suffering from Lyme disease. His health has improved since then, but he still suffers memory lapses.
“Thankfully I haven’t lost the songs,” says Kris, who also still relishes long walks with Lisa and the contemplative act of mowing the lawn on his tractor. “I got a lot of lawn to mow!” he says with a laugh. “I want to stay right where I am, which is on an island with no neighbors and 180 degrees of empty horizon. It’s a beautiful view.”
