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In light of the subject's recent passing, I'm thinking we should do a massive revamp of this article so we can get it up to GA or FA status at some point in the future, using other articles like Hank Williams (a GA), Patsy Cline (a GA) or Elvis Presley (an FA) as models. Eventually, I plan to feature it on the main page as a TFA for the subject's birthday, which is June 22.

For example, we should create a "Life and career" section which should look something like this:

• 1936–1961: early years
• 1961–1965: military service
• 1965–1972: early music and film career
• 1972–1990: commercial peak
• 1990–2021: Highwaymen and later years
• 2021–2024: retirement and death

I would also recommend moving some parts of the personal life section (such as his marriages, health problems such as drug addictions, etc.) to the "Life and career" section as outlined above.

Any other thoughts or suggestions on this? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:42, 29 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

sounds great to me, please proceed. Jtbobwaysf (talk) 08:18, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've started a work-in-progress draft here. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 04:48, 16 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Looking good so far. I would say his marriages are also worth adding to section headers with this integration, especially Rita Coolidge given the overlap of their professional and personal involvements with one another. A glaring absence for this article, though, is how it neglects to mention why the first two ended in divorce. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 06:06, 31 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

In this case, we can try finding books and other sources about Kristofferson's marriages and potentially merge them into the life and career section. Also, I realized there is no section about his artistry (such as his musical style, influences, etc.). Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 06:23, 31 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Are there books on the subject other than the ones already cited? Nikkimaria (talk) 02:56, 1 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Here's what I've found so far:

• Morgan, Sam (2024). Biography of Kris Kristofferson. LibriHouse. ISBN 9789367673164.
• Walker, Michael (2010). Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9781429932936.

I'll look for some more books as necessary. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 03:08, 1 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Having just implemented some of the material from the Kristofferson (album) article, I think we should include material from other GAs of Kristofferson's albums. Also, some references may need to be reformatted. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 05:13, 31 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

While I'm continuing my revamp, I'll see what I can do to merge the marriages and divorces into the life and career section over the next few months or so.

Also, how should we handle the political views and advocacy section to prevent any undue weight? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 14:20, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The plans above are fine, but tomorrow is the last day to source his article enough to appear among the recent deaths, WP:ITNN nomination open, but facts tagged for needing citations. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:51, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I see that this article is being reworked, but I am concerned about the removal of important details regarding Kristofferson's military service. He was a helicopter pilot and graduated Ranger School, both of which are considered significant accomplishments within the military. He said in interviews that he was proud of his time in the Army, and his parents' disapproval of his departure from the service is an important biographical detail, it was a major source of tension in his early life, and of encyclopedic interest here. So far as I can tell, the dates of service and highest rank achieved have been thrown out, and these details, requiring only a few sentences to include, summarize at least 4-5 years of his life.

I hope the editor undertaking this overhaul will consider preserving these details in a future military service section. Kristofferson was truly a remarkable individual. I have pretty extensive subject matter expertise in the U.S. Army (I am a veteran and Ranger School graduate) and would be happy to help in such a section and ensure an accurate service summary, but I also don't want to conflict with ongoing edits. Please ping if you would like me to join. Ihpkt (talk) 22:15, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Follow up, I see that his promotion to captain was preserved. The rest stands. Ihpkt (talk) 22:17, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I previously merged the military service section with the early years section in the extensive rewrite to make it easier for navigation. I incorporated some of the military content from some of the subject's album articles into this one. I'm also working on the article in my sandbox.

You can also help out as per the relevant note on the under construction template and add sources here, but we'll have to make sure to find reliably sourced material as per the policy on verifiability. Perhaps maybe we can make an effort to solicit more opinions on the matter? Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 22:51, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I will also add, his qualification as an Army helicopter pilot was what allowed him to dramatically land a helicopter on Johnny Cash's property, a detail that may be worth linking in the narrative. It is also the reason his employment included flying professionally before his music career took off. Good work on this article, keep it up! Ihpkt (talk) 03:03, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. I'm always willing to help out as a long-time Wikipedian. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 03:28, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]