Wesley Snipes pays tribute to Blade co-star Kris Kristofferson: ‘Always your student’

Singer and actor played Snipes’ on-screen mentor in the ‘Blade’ movies

Wesley Snipes has paid tribute to his Blade co-star Kris Kristofferson after the Grammy Award-winning musician and actor died at the age of 88.

Kristofferson died at his home in Maui on 28 September, surrounded by his family.

The star played vampire hunter Abraham Whistler, a mentor to Snipes’ title character, in the comic book movie trilogy, which began in 1998 and concluded in 2004.

Snipes, 62, shared a series of film stills on his Instagram account, showing him and Kristofferson in costume, and revealed the life lessons that he had learned from his co-star.

“Family Kristofferson, Pardon the delay,” he wrote in a message that was also posted on his Twitter/X and Facebook accounts.

“I was talking with GM Kris about how he learned me, by way of example, baritones have more fun, valor is cool, real fun and fame is having a beautiful family and it takes bravery to be a ‘good’ human with so many ‘vampires’ around,” he said.

“I told GM Kris, ‘Hey Whistler,’ while on purpose, ‘you keep making those weapons—love, passion, skillmastery, and swag—and I’ll keep using them,” he continued, before signing off his message with a reference to their Blade characters.

“Always your ‘Student’ aka ‘the #Daywalker,’” he wrote.

In a statement shared with the press, Kristofferson’s family said: “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 began his country music career in the late Sixties and released his first album in 1970.

Kristofferson enjoyed a long and successful music career, as well as Hollywood stardom (Getty Images)

He was known for classic tracks such as “Help Me Make it Through the Night”, “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Sunday Mornin’ Coming’ Down”, and eventually won three competitive Grammys.

He was also a successful Hollywood star, making his debut in Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie in 1971 before appearing in films including Sam Peckinpah’s Western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

He appeared in the 1976 version of A Star is Born, playing a self-destructive rock star who falls for a rising singer played by Barbra Streisand. Kristofferson won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical that year.

In 2014, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to music.