Dolly Parton Mourns ‘Great Loss’ of Friend Kris Kristofferson: ‘I Will Always Love You’

Dolly Parton remembers her “great friend” Kris Kristofferson.

On Sunday, Sept. 29, the “9 to 5” singer, 78, shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram to honor Kristofferson, who died Sept. 28 at age 88. Touching on his prolific and wide-ranging career, she wrote, “What a great loss, what a great writer, what a great actor, what a great friend.”

“I will always love you,” she concluded and signed the message “Dolly” with a butterfly graphic.

Dolly Parton tribute to Kris Kristofferson.

Dolly Parton/Instagram

The fellow country music legends were longtime friends and shared many duets over the years, on songs like “From Here to the Moon and Back” and “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”

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In 1982, the pair teamed up with Willie Nelson and Brenda Lee to release a joint compilation album titled Winning hand. The album later inspired a TV special of the same name, which aired in 1985 and was hosted by Johnny Cash, who wrote the liner notes for the album.

On September 19, Parton took to Facebook to share a nostalgic snap of herself and Kristofferson singing the wacky song “Ping Pong” — from Winning hand — together.

“There is notation like making music with friends!” she wrote in the title of the post. “It’s been a great pleasure to sing with so many talented artists over the years. @KrisKristofferson ❤️ Which of my duets is your favorite?”

Kristofferson re-shared the post on his Facebook page, writing, “Thank you for sharing this Dolly Parton.”

Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson.

Jason Kempin/Getty; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

In June 2019, Parton took a moment to congratulate Kristofferson on his birthday. She shared a throwback photo of the couple on X (formerly Twitter) with the message: “Wishing my friend Kris Kristofferson a happy birthday!”

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Kristofferson, who was also known for his acting roles in films such as A star is born, Alice doesn’t live here anymore and Blade trilogy, died “peacefully” surrounded by family at his home in Maui, a representative said.

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

Kristofferson is survived by his wife Lisa Meyers, their five children – Jesse (40), Jody (39), Johnny (36), Kelly (34) and Blake (30) – as well as his three children from previous marriages: Tracy (62) , Chris Jr. ., 56, and Casey, 50.

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Source: HIS Education