Kris Kristofferson chose Leonard Cohen song for his epitaph years before his death

Kris Kristofferson is said to have chosen his epitaph years before his death. Here he's pictured performing at a concert, circa 1970. Photo / Getty Images

Late Hollywood legend Kris Kristofferson is said to have chosen his epitaph years before his death.

The country icon died aged 88 at his home in Miami, Florida on Saturday.

Now, an interview with Leonard Cohen has resurfaced – in which the late singer-songwriter revealed how Kristofferson had told him he wanted his lyrics on his tombstone.

“Kris Kristofferson informed me that I had stolen part of the melody for [Bird on the Wire] from another Nashville writer,” Cohen, who died aged 82 in 2016, told the interviewer.

“He also said that he’s putting the first couple of lines on his tombstone – and I’ll be hurt if he doesn’t.”

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The first few lines of the 1969 song are, “Like a bird on the wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free.”

Cohen is said to have played Bird on the Wire more than any other song in his back catalogue, frequently opening his concerts with the anthem.

“It seems to return me to my duties. It was begun in Greece and finished in a motel in Hollywood around 1969, along with everything else. Some lines were changed in Oregon,” Cohen once said about the song’s spiritual impact.

However, the writer and poet - best known for his 1984 hymn-like song Hallelujah - said no matter how often he played Bird on the Wire, he could never “seem to get it perfect”.

Kristofferson died peacefully at his home, three years after retiring from the entertainment business.

“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,” his family said in an emotional statement shared on Instagram.

“We’re all so blessed for our time with him. 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, his eight children, and seven grandchildren.

- Additional reporting by NZ Herald.