Dolly Parton Pays Tribute to Kris Kristofferson After His Death

Dolly Parton is remembering her “great friend” Kris Kristofferson.

On Sunday, Sept. 29, the “9 to 5” singer, 78, shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram in honor of Kristofferson, who died on 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, signing the message “Dolly” with a butterfly graphic.

The fellow country music legends were longtime friends and shared many duet performances through the years, to songs such as “From Here to the Moon and Back” and “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”

In 1982, the pair teamed up with Willie Nelson and Brenda Lee to release a collaborative compilation album called The 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 album’s liner notes. 

On Sept. 19, Parton shared a nostalgic clip on Facebook of herself and Kristofferson singing the whimsical song “Ping Pong” — from The Winning Hand — together.

“There’s noting like making music with friends!” she wrote in the post’s caption. “It brings me so much joy to have sung with so many talented artists over the years. @KrisKristofferson Which one of my duets is your favorite?”

Kristofferson reshared the post on his own Facebook page, writing, “Thank you for sharing this Dolly Parton.”

In June 2019, Parton took a moment to send her well-wishes to Kristofferson on his birthday. She shared a throwback photo of the pair on X (formerly Twitter) with the message: “Wishing my pal Kris Kristofferson a very happy birthday!”

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Kristofferson, who was also known for his acting roles in such films as A Star Is Born, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and the Blade trilogy, died “peacefully” surrounded by family at his home in Maui, a representative said.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home. We’re all so blessed for our time with him,” his family said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at 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, Kris Jr., 56, and Casey, 50.