Tragedies Surrounding The Kennedy Women

The following article discusses suicide, sexual assault, and overdose.

For as much money, fame, and influence as they have amassed over the last century, the Kennedy family has experienced just as much tragedy. John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. spent the last eight years of his life partially paralyzed from a stroke. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash in World War II. And those deaths are just scratching the surface. Overdoses, skiing accidents, car accidents, and more have all plagued the Kennedy family. In fact, so much sadness has befallen them that their tragedies have been dubbed the "Kennedy curse."

But all of the aforementioned tragedies happened to the men in the family. Unfortunately, fate has been just as cruel to the women who've bore the famed surname — even those who entered the Kennedy family by marriage. Take a closer look at some of the horrific tragedies surrounding the Kennedy women.

While some details of the Kennedy family's lives are spoken about every day across America, others barely get mentioned, like the tragic story of Rosemary Kennedy. One of John F. Kennedy's sisters, Rosemary was born with intellectual disabilities that progressed into adulthood. Per the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver once wrote, "Rosemary was not making progress but seemed instead to be going backward. At 22, she was becoming increasingly irritable and difficult." Because of Rosemary's apparent regressions, her father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., had her undergo a lobotomy, a procedure that is no longer performed today.

Tragically, the lobotomy left Rosemary with more disabilities than she had before the operation. Joseph subsequently sent Rosemary to a psychiatric facility in New York and then to a home in Wisconsin, and the two never saw each other again. Rosemary's siblings went 20 years without seeing her, but after Joseph had a stroke in 1961, the siblings learned of Rosemary's location and began visiting. "Rosie was happy when she had visitors. She loved parties and music and sweets. If we said we brought a box of candy, her eyes [lit] up. When people visited her, she was in heaven," author Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff wrote of Rosemary in the book "The Missing Kennedy." Rosemary's life was not in vain, though. Her sister Eunice went on to start a day camp for people with disabilities, and it eventually became the Special Olympics organization, which still serves people today.

Members of the Kennedy family are well acquainted with the tragedy of a plane crash, and that acquaintance dates back decades. One family member to die in a plane crash was Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, one of John F. Kennedy's sisters, but that wasn't the only tragedy of her life. When Kick was a young woman, she moved to England and fell in love with a man named Billy Hartington, a future duke. Kick and Hartington got married in 1944, but because her family disapproved of the relationship, her brother Joe Kennedy Jr. was the only one of Kick's relatives to attend the ceremony. Months after the wedding, Hartington died fighting in World War II, leaving Kick a heartbroken widow.

Kick found solace with Earl Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, another Englishman who happened to be married, which again displeased some of Kick's family, namely her mother. In 1948, just days before Kick and the earl had planned to meet with her father to find a path forward for the family, the couple died in a plane crash. The Kennedys were devastated by the loss, especially Kick's mother. "She was the star of the family, and it left them, particularly her mother, with terrible, unresolved agony over a relationship with the child that was closest to her. Her mother was left with something that was so unresolved — that she didn't go to her daughter's funeral, she didn't bring the body back here to bury her," wrote author Barbara Leaming in "Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter."

While John F. Kennedy was president, the stunning Jackie Kennedy was the epitome of class and beauty. Her life, from the outside, couldn't have been better. But things changed drastically for Jackie on November 22, 1963 when JFK was assassinated. Jackie was right next to her husband when he was shot, and the horrific event went on to haunt her. Per Vanity Fair, Jackie later described herself as "not in any condition to make much sense of anything" in the weeks following the assassination. About a month after JFK's death, Jackie and her children moved into a house in Washington, D.C. "Jackie's bedroom was on the second floor and she seldom left it. I was constantly aware of her suffering," recalled Jackie's secretary, Mary Gallagher.

Those close to Jackie saw how deeply traumatized she was by her husband's death. The widow replayed the day of JFK's death over and over, trying to analyze what she could have done differently to have prevented the assassination. Experts who have since analyzed Jackie's response to her husband's death believe that she was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, but that she did not receive a diagnosis because the condition was not well understood at the time. What is certain is that Jackie was struggling. "When the terrible thing happened, I felt like I was being thrown around in the ocean by giant waves," Jackie told her friend Joe Armstrong of her husband's death (via People).

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy married into the famous family in 1996. She met John F. Kennedy Jr. in the early 1990s, and they instantly became an impossibly glamorous couple — but only from the outside. In reality, their relationship was far from perfect. Among the troubles that plagued the relationship were all the women JFK Jr. dated before marrying Carolyn, their bad first date, the fact that Carolyn never met JFK Jr.'s mother, and Carolyn's reluctance to accept JFK Jr.'s marriage proposal. "She held the proposal off for about three weeks, which I think just made him all the more intent on marrying her," a friend of JFK Jr.'s told People.

Despite their turmoil, those close to the couple maintain that Carolyn and JFK Jr. were genuinely in love, which made the end of their relationship that much more tragic. In 1999, JFK Jr., Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, got onto John's private aircraft to head to a wedding. While flying through thick fog over Martha's Vineyard, JFK Jr. lost control of the plane and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All three on board — Carolyn, 33; Lauren, 34; and John, 38 — died. "We are filled with unspeakable grief and sadness by the loss of John and Carolyn and Lauren Bessette. John was a shining light in all our lives and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him as little boy," Sen. Ted Kennedy said for the Kennedy family after the accident, per The Washington Post.

Caroline Kennedy has lost many important people in her life. In addition to losing both her parents, John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, Caroline lost both of her younger brothers. In August of 1963, just two years into JFK's presidential term, Jackie gave birth to their third child, a son named Patrick Kennedy. Just 39 hours after he was born, Patrick died from respiratory distress syndrome. Caroline was only 5 years old when her baby brother died, and in November of that same year, her father was assassinated, leaving just her, her mother, and her brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., in her immediate family.

In 1994, tragedy struck Caroline again when her mother died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. With Jackie gone, it was just Caroline and JFK Jr. left, but that was short-lived, too. In 1999, JFK Jr. died with his wife in a tragic plane crash, and Caroline became the lone survivor of her branch of the Kennedy family. Despite the tragedies she endured, Caroline thrived. In the early 2000s, Christopher Andersen wrote the book "Sweet Caroline: Last Child Of Camelot," which detailed Caroline's strength through adversity. "Even Bobby Kennedy was impressed with how much she had endured by the age of 8. He said, 'Every time I look at her, I want to go to someplace and cry.' It was one blow after another. Amazingly, this woman has not only survived, she's flourished and I think she's sort of an object lesson for people who have to cope with personal loss," Andersen said of Caroline, CBS News.

While many members of the Kennedy family have embraced the fame afforded to them by their last name, others have opted to be less forward facing. Such was the choice of Kara Kennedy, the daughter of Senator Ted Kennedy, one of John F. Kennedy's brothers. Per The New York Times, Kara once wrote in The Boston Globe Magazine, "Unlike my father, I felt more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. But like him, I found my greatest fulfillment in showing the needs and successes of others." In life, Kara worked as a filmmaker and television producer, and gave back to others through charitable organizations like Very Special Arts, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Museum, and the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the last of which she helped found.

Tragically, though, Kara's life was cut short in 2011 when she suffered a fatal heart attack at 51 years old. Nine years prior, Kara was diagnosed with lung cancer and subsequently underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for treatment, with some believing that Kara's heart health was impacted by her cancer treatment. Despite her tragic end, Kara was remembered by her family for the good she brought to the world. "She was never interested or impressed by someone's job title. What mattered to her were two things: your trustworthiness and your loyalty," Kara's brother Ted Kennedy Jr. said of her, per NBC News.

Mary Richardson Kennedy wasn't a Kennedy by birth, but that didn't make her life, especially the end of it, any less complicated. In 1994, Mary married Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's children who went on to run for president and become the Secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr.'s second wife, Mary had been friends with members of the Kennedy family for years, and the former couple's romantic relationship started while RFK Jr. was still married to his first wife. The pair had four children together, but their marriage was not a happy one.

Throughout their marriage, RFK Jr. cheated on Mary and claimed she had various mental illnesses. The end of their marriage was especially troubling. In 2010, RFK Jr. filed for divorce, and Mary spiraled. A few days after the filing, Mary was arrested for a DUI, and then lost custody of her children. By the spring of 2011, things had gotten especially tough. "She could barely get out of bed," wrote author Maureen Callahan in "Ask Not: The Kennedys and The Women They Destroyed" of Mary, who was also struggling financially at the time. "On the days when she summoned enough energy to take the kids to school, Mary was often in ratty pajamas, her hair unkempt. 'You have to pull yourself together,' the other mothers told her. 'You're a Kennedy.'" In 2012, while still technically married to RFK Jr., Mary died by suicide.

In 2019, tragedy struck the Kennedy family again. Saoirse Kennedy Hill, one of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's granddaughters, the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill, died at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts of an accidental overdose. Saoirse was 22 years old, a senior at Boston College, and had been involved in civic organizations throughout high school and college. "Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love," the Kennedy family said in a statement after Saoirse's death, as shared on Instagram by her aunt Kerry Kennedy.

Though her life wasn't long, Saoirse had faced her share of struggles. In 2016, the young Kennedy wrote about her experience with mental illness, opening up about a previous suicide attempt after becoming the victim of sexual assault. While in college, Saoirse felt the societal stigma around mental illness, and left school for a period of time to receive treatment. "People talk about cancer freely; why is it so difficult to discuss the effects of depression, bi-polar, anxiety, or schizophrenic disorders? Just because the illness may not be outwardly visible doesn't mean the person suffering from it isn't struggling," she wrote in The Deerfield Scroll. Four days after her death, the Kennedys held a funeral for Saoirse at Cape Cod where both Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tim Shriver gave eulogies.

A heartbreaking number of Kennedy family members have died at young ages, including another one of Robert F. Kennedy's granddaughters, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean. In 2020, Maeve and her family were staying at a family home in Shady Side, Maryland to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, Maeve and her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean were outside playing kickball. Their ball went into a cove by the house, so Maeve and Gideon hopped in a canoe to get the ball. Things took a turn, though, and the mother and son were unable to get back to shore. Instead, they ended up in the body of water that the cove is connected to — Chesapeake Bay.

A nearby onlooker saw Maeve and Gideon struggling in the canoe and called 911. Authorities got to the scene within minutes of the call and saw Maeve and Gideon on their canoe, but it was too late to help. A few hours later, Maeve's body was found, and two days later Gideon's body was found, too, both underwater. After Maeve and Gideon's deaths, their family launched a memorial website for loved ones to upload footage of the mother and son and share tributes and memories. "Maeve and Gideon were beautiful, bubbly, caring, people, and we have been so grateful for the outpouring of love from all of those whose lives they touched. Your kind words and virtual hugs have lifted us up when we needed it most," the family said in a statement a year after Maeve and Gideon died, as reported by People.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org