{"id":99,"date":"2026-01-02T12:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T17:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/?p=99"},"modified":"2026-01-02T12:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T17:12:11","slug":"kennedy-family-tragedies-and-heartbreaks-through-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/2026\/01\/kennedy-family-tragedies-and-heartbreaks-through-the-years.html","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Family Tragedies and Heartbreaks Through the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Public Domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kennedy family has been at the forefront of tragedy and heartbreak with the deaths and accidents of loved ones for generations.<\/p>\n

Most recently, the clan\u00a0mourned the death<\/a>\u00a0of Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy, after a battle with leukemia on Dec. 30.<\/p>\n

The journalist\u2019s passing reignited chatter of the \u201cKennedy Curse,\u201d which refers to the continuous tragic deaths within the family from illnesses and crashes to assassinations.<\/p>\n

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Dies in WWII \u2014 Aug. 12, 1944<\/h2>\n

Joseph P. Kennedy, the eldest son of Joseph Sr. and Rose Kennedy, was killed while on a secret WWII mission. He was 29.<\/p>\n

The aviator died when his explosive Navy bomber aircraft blew up midair.<\/p>\n

He was flying over the English Channel.<\/p>\n

Kathleen \u201cKick\u201d Kennedy Dies in Plane Crash \u2014 May 13, 1948<\/h2>\n

Kathleen \u201cKick\u201d Kennedy, the daughter of Joseph Sr. and Rose Kennedy, died in a plane crash in France on May 13, 1948.<\/p>\n

Kick, who was 28, was on the way to the French Riviera with her lover Earl Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, author Barbara Leaming wrote in \u201cKick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter,\u201d per People<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The plane\u2019s pilot and a navigator were also killed.<\/p>\n

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy Dies After Premature Birth \u2014 Aug. 7, 1963<\/h2>\n

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the son of Jacqueline and JFK, died on Aug. 7, 1963 \u2014 less than 40 hours after he was born.<\/p>\n

He passed away a few short months before his father was assassinated.<\/p>\n

President John F. Kennedy Assassinated \u2014 Nov. 22, 1963<\/h2>\n

President John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.<\/p>\n

He was rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead at the age of 46.<\/p>\n

Oswald was shot dead while being transferred to a different jail location a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

JFK and Jacqueline wed in 1953 and were parents to four kids: Arabella, who was a stillborn baby, Caroline, John, and Patrick, who died shortly after his premature birth.<\/p>\n

Robert F. Kennedy Assassinated \u2014 June 6, 1968<\/h2>\n

Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated shortly after winning the California presidential primary<\/a> on June 5, 1968. He died the following day at the age of 42.<\/p>\n

The politician was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan.<\/p>\n

He married Ethel Kennedy in 1950 and they shared 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory.<\/p>\n

Ted Kennedy and the \u201cChappaquiddick Incident\u201d \u2014 July 18, 1969<\/h2>\n

Shortly before midnight on July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy drove his car off Dyke Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island<\/a>, located off the coast of Martha\u2019s Vineyard.<\/p>\n

At the time, the late former senator, whose brothers were JFK and RFK, fled the scene, and authorities later found the body of 28-year-old aide Mary Jo Kopechne in the car.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t report the accident until 10 hours later and claimed he attempted to save Kopechne.<\/p>\n

The lawyer died in August 2009 at the age of 77.<\/p>\n

David Anthony Kennedy Dies of an Overdose \u2014 April 25, 1984<\/h2>\n

David Anthony Kennedy died of an overdose at a Palm Beach hotel in Florida on April 25, 1984. He was 28.<\/p>\n

The son of Robert F. Kennedy had previously dealt with alcohol and heroin addiction, according to the New York Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

David was 13 years old when his father was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968.<\/p>\n

Michael L. Kennedy Dies in Skiing Accident \u2014 Dec. 31, 1997<\/h2>\n

Michael L. Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, died after a ski injury in Colorado on New Year\u2019s Eve in 1997.<\/p>\n

The businessman was skiing at the Aspen Mountain resort with family members when he crashed into a tree, per CNN<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was taken to a local hospital and was later pronounced dead.<\/p>\n

Michael tied the knot to his wife, Victoria Denise Gifford, in 1981, and they separated the same year that he died. They shared three kids: Michael, Kyle and Rory.<\/p>\n

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Wife Carolyn Bessette Die in Plane Crash \u2014 July 16, 1999<\/h2>\n

John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren Bessette died after their small plane plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean<\/a> off the coast of Martha\u2019s Vineyard on July 16, 1999.<\/p>\n

At the time, John, who was 38, was the pilot of the single-engine plane, and Caroline, who was 33, and Lauren, who was 34, were strapped into their seats.<\/p>\n

The couple tied the knot in 1996 and didn\u2019t have kids before their deaths.<\/p>\n

Kara Kennedy Dies of a Heart Attack \u2014 Sept. 16, 2011<\/h2>\n

Kara Kennedy, the daughter of the late Edward Kennedy, died of heart failure after working out at a gym in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16, 2011.<\/p>\n

The TV producer, who was 51, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002.<\/p>\n

She had a malignant tumour removed from her lung in 2003 and was in remission, according to BBC<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mary Richardson Kennedy dies by suicide \u2014 May 16, 2012<\/h2>\n

Mary Richardson Kennedy died by suicide<\/a> while hashing out a divorce battle with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on May 16, 2012. She was 52.<\/p>\n

The designer hung herself in the barn of their Bedford, N.Y., estate.<\/p>\n

According to Mary\u2019s family, she struggled with depression and alcohol.<\/p>\n

She and Robert tied the knot in 1994 and separated in 2010. They shared four kids: Conor, Kyra, William and Aidan.<\/p>\n

Saoirse Kennedy Hill Dies of Overdose \u2014 Aug. 1, 2019<\/h2>\n

Saoirse Kennedy Hill died from an accidental overdose at the age of 22 on Aug. 1, 2019.<\/p>\n

According to a coroner\u2019s report, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, had a mixture of different drugs in her system, including prescription substances, methadone and alcohol.<\/p>\n

Hill was found unresponsive after going into cardiac arrest at her family\u2019s Hyannis Port , Mass., compound on Aug. 1.<\/p>\n

Before her tragic death, Hill wrote about depression and suicide in high school.<\/p>\n

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and Her Son, Gideon, Drown \u2014 April 2, 2020<\/h2>\n

Maeve Fahey Kennedy McKean, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and her 8-year-old son, Gideon, drowned in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on April 2, 2020. She was 40.<\/p>\n

The mother-son duo had gotten into a canoe to fetch a soccer ball that fell into the water when Gideon was playing with friends.<\/p>\n

According to Maeve\u2019s husband<\/a>, David, the water was choppy and the two \u201cgot farther out than they could handle, and couldn\u2019t get back in,\u201d he previously told the Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Maeve\u2019s body was found on April 6, and Gideon\u2019s on April 8.<\/p>\n

Maeve and David wed in 2009 and also shared kids Gabriela and Toby.<\/p>\n

Tatiana Schlossberg Dies of Cancer \u2014 Dec. 30, 2025<\/h2>\n

Schlossberg died after battling a rare form of cancer at the age of 35, her family announced.<\/p>\n

She was diagnosed with the condition in May 2024, but kept it underwraps until releasing an essay with the New Yorker<\/em> in November 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the time, the writer shared her cancer \u201ccould not be cured by a standard course,\u201d and doctors had only given her a year to live.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the diagnosis, she wrote, \u201cI did not \u2014 could not \u2014 believe that they were talking about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had swum a mile in the pool the day before, nine months pregnant. I wasn\u2019t sick. I didn\u2019t feel sick. I was actually one of the healthiest people I knew,\u201d Schlossberg added.<\/p>\n

She is survived by her husband, George Moran, whom she wed in 2017, and their two kids.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on PageSix.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kennedy family has been at the forefront of tragedy and heartbreak with the deaths and accidents of loved ones for generations. Most recently, the clan\u00a0mourned the death\u00a0of Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy, after a battle with leukemia on Dec. 30. The journalist\u2019s passing reignited chatter of the \u201cKennedy Curse,\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nKennedy Family Tragedies and Heartbreaks Through the Years<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Kennedy family has been at the forefront of tragedy and heartbreak with the deaths and accidents of loved ones for generations.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/2026\/01\/kennedy-family-tragedies-and-heartbreaks-through-the-years.html\" \/>\n<meta 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