Kris Kristofferson was a lot of things: a Rhodes Scholar, a Golden Gloves boxer, a helicopter pilot, and a guy who literally wrote the book on outlaw country. But if you asked him what mattered most, he wouldn't point to his Grammys or his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’d probably talk about Lisa Meyers.
Honestly, the question of who is Kris Kristofferson married to is pretty straightforward on the surface, but the story behind it is anything but simple. Before he passed away peacefully at his home in Maui on September 28, 2024, at the age of 88, Kristofferson had spent over four decades with Lisa. She wasn't just his wife; she was the person who navigated him through a brutal medical misdiagnosis that almost robbed him of his mind.
The gym meeting and the third time's the charm
When Kris met Lisa Meyers in 1982, he wasn't exactly looking for a soulmate. He was 46 and "gun-shy" after two divorces. His first marriage to high school sweetheart Fran Beer ended in 1969. His second, high-profile marriage to singer Rita Coolidge, blew up in 1980. He was living in Malibu, focusing on his career and his three older kids, Tracy, Kris Jr., and Casey.
Then he saw Lisa at a Malibu gym.
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She was a law student at Pepperdine University, 20 years his junior. As the story goes, Kris used a total "guy" move and borrowed a piece of equipment from her just to start a conversation. It worked. Despite his fears of another failed marriage, they tied the knot in 1983 at the Pepperdine University chapel. It was an intimate ceremony—worlds away from the Hollywood glitz he was used to.
A massive family in Maui
The couple eventually traded the California chaos for the quiet life in Hana, Hawaii. They didn't just move there; they became part of the local fabric. Lisa and Kris raised five children together: Jesse, Jody, Johnny, Kelly Marie, and Blake.
If you're keeping count, that's eight kids in total.
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You’ve got a professional wrestler (Jody), a lawyer (Johnny), and actors and musicians in the mix. People in Hana knew them as the neighbors who donated computers to the local high school or wrote checks for community fundraisers, not as a Hollywood power couple. Kris once told NPR that his wife "puts up with everything I do and keeps me out of trouble." He wasn't kidding.
Who is Kris Kristofferson married to? Meet the woman who fought for his health
The real reason people search for who is Kris Kristofferson married to often stems from the headlines about his health. For years, the world thought Kris was losing his battle with Alzheimer's. He was experiencing severe memory loss, and doctors told him it was either dementia or the result of too many hits to the head during his boxing and football days.
Lisa didn't buy it.
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She watched him struggle with the side effects of heavy medications for a disease he didn't actually have. Around 2016, they finally got a second opinion. A doctor tested him for Lyme disease. The test came back positive.
Basically, the "Alzheimer's" was actually a tick-borne illness. After Lisa pushed for the right treatment, Kris had what friends called a "Lazarus-like" recovery. He stopped the wrong meds, started the right ones, and suddenly, the man who couldn't remember his own lyrics was back on stage. Lisa’s persistence gave him another decade of quality life with his family.
Legacy and life after 2024
Kris retired from the spotlight in 2021, choosing to spend his final years mowing his lawn on a tractor and looking out over the Pacific Ocean. When he died in 2024, the family statement was simple and full of grace, mentioning that he "smiles down at us all" whenever there's a rainbow.
Lisa Meyers remains the keeper of that legacy. She isn't just a "celebrity wife" from a Wikipedia entry; she's the attorney and mother who managed the estate and the health of one of the most important songwriters in American history.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into his world, the best move is to listen to the music that Lisa helped him preserve. Check out his final studio work, The Cedar Creek Sessions, or his live recordings from the 70s to hear the evolution of a man who eventually found the peace he spent his early years writing about. Supporting organizations like the United Farm Workers, which the couple championed for years, is another way to honor the path they walked together.