Kris Kristofferson, who died Sunday at the age of 88, was truly one of the greatest songwriters of the past 60 years. No less an eminence than Bob Dylan said of him, "You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris,

Kris Kristofferson wrote some of the best songs in country music history. Here are five songs made famous by other artists.

“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” Joplin sang in her signature blues-rock yowl — perhaps the best-known piece of wisdom in Kristofferson’s very wise catalog. “Me and Bobby McGee” topped the Hot 100 in March 1971, less than six months after Joplin’s death at age 27.

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.