Inside the Kennedy Curse: Family’s Deaths, Assassinations and Tragedies Explored

The Kennedy curse, as what the public has called the tragedies involving the members of the Kennedy family, dates back decades and begins with the death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

The first son of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy died on August 12, 1944, when the B-17 bomber he was piloting blew up midair during on a secret World War II mission. He was 29 years old.

Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy Was Killed in a 1948 Plane Crash

kathleen kick kennedy was killed in a  plane crash
Source: David Monje on Unsplash Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy and Earl Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam planned to marry before their deaths.

On May 13, 1948, Joseph Sr. and Rose’s daughter Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy was killed in a plane crash at the age of 28. She was traveling from Paris to the French Riviera with her lover, Earl Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, when the accident occurred.

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy Died Less Than 40 Hours After Birth

patrick bouvier kennedy died less than  hours after birth
Source: MEGA Only two of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s four children survived infancy.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John F. Kennedy‘s son Patrick Bouvier Kennedy passed away 39 hours after his premature birth on August 7, 1963.

John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Were Assassinated

john f kennedy and robert f kennedy were assassinated
Source: MEGA John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated five years apart.

Ted Kennedy Was Involved in the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident

ted kennedy was involved in the  chappaquiddick incident
Source: MEGA Ted Kennedy died in 2009.

The Kennedys were rocked by a scandal when Ted Kennedy drove his car off the bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. Although he survived, Mary Jo Kopechne — one of the workers for Robert’s campaign — got trapped inside the vehicle and drowned.

Ted did not report her death until 10 hours after the incident happened, but he claimed he, his cousin Joe Gargan and friend Paul Markham attempted to rescue her. See More/Details

The former senator died in August 2009. He was 77.

David Anthony Kennedy Died of an Overdose

david anthony kennedy died of an overdose
Source: Colin Davis on Unsplash David Anthony Kennedy was one of Robert F. Kennedy’s sons.

On April 25, 1984, Robert and Ethel Kennedy‘s son David Anthony Kennedy died of a drug overdose in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 28.

Michael L. Kennedy Died in a Skiing Accident

michael l kennedy died in a skiing accident
Source: Hasmik Ghazaryan Olson on Unsplash Michael Kennedy was not wearing a helmet at the time.

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Robert and Ethel lost another son when Michael Kennedy got involved in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colo., on New Year’s Eve in 1997. The 39-year-old died after hitting a tree during the family trip.

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Died in a Plane Crash

john f kennedy jr and carolyn bessette died in a plane crash
Source: MEGA John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette married in 1996.

On the night of July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. died along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette after the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. See More/Details