Via Wikipedia
We frequently read about the Kennedys with their high political standing, Hyannis Port mansions, endless achievements, and undying influence and can’t help but wonder how one family could seem to have had it all and epitomized the American Dream. From senators to presidents to lawyers, members of the family dedicated their lives to serve the country and improve the state of affairs for other individuals. Unfortunately, their paths were too often cut short by tragedy and scandal.
The concept of the Kennedy Curse stems from the eerie losses and incidents that loom over the family; plane crashes, assassinations, premature deaths, and scandalous events that are much too common with this family. So the question lingers; what really is the range of this curse?
Fatal plane crashes:
While the most famous Kennedy plane crash may be the one that killed John F Kennedy Jr, his wife, and his sister-in-law, the 1999 plane crash wasn’t the first time members of the family had suffered accidents with aircraft. In 1944, Joseph Kennedy Jr died due to the mysterious explosion of a military operating aircraft he offered to pilot. Less than 4 years later, his younger sister, Kathleen Kennedy would die in a plane crash of her own at the age of 28. In 1955, Ethel Kennedy, wife of Robert F Kennedy lost both her parents to another fatal plane crash. Following that, in 1964, Senator Ted Kennedy survived a deadly plane crash that killed the pilot and aide and left the senator with a broken back and ribs.
Conspired assassinations:
One of the most conspired events in American history is the assassination of President John F Kennedy, who was killed in Dallas at the age of 46. The strange pieces of evidence threw the country for a spiral, with several people disbelieving of the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone shooter acting alone. From theories involving the CIA to ones involving the Mafia, the truth remains inconclusive and uncovered. Similarly, presidential candidate and US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy was assassinated moments after his victory in the California primaries, less than 5 years after his brother, at the age of 42. Once again, conspiracies loom over his assassination as well.
Accidental drug overdoses:
At the age of 28, David Kennedy, son of Robert F Kennedy overdosed in Palm Beach Florida in 1984. His long struggle with addiction allegedly stemmed from watching his father’s assassination live on television and a car accident that left him dependent on painkillers. In 2019, Saoirse Rose Kennedy, granddaughter of RFK, was found dead in the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port after an accidental overdose at the age of 22.
Deaths of the children of Jackie and John F Kennedy:
In 1955, Jackie Kennedy became pregnant for the first time. Three months into this pregnancy, she had a miscarriage. Less than a year later, she gave birth to a stillborn infant, Arabella, who now rests next to her parents at Arlington Cemetery. In August of 1963, two healthy babies later - Caroline and John Kennedy Jr, Jackie went into labor 5 and a half weeks early, giving birth to Patrick Kennedy who was a mere 4 pounds. 39 hours later, Patrick passed away. Today, only Caroline Kennedy lives; JFK Jr has passed away at the age of 39.
Premature deaths of other members:
It may seem like it can get no worse, yet there are several other instances of premature losses of Kennedys. In 1997, Michael Kennedy, son of RFK, passed away after crashing into a tree while skiing. In 2012, Mary Richardson Kennedy, wife of RFK Jr, was found hanging in her home; autopsy reports concluding it was suicide. In April of 2020, Maeve Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy, went missing with her 8-year-old son after going on a canoeing trip. 6 days later, their bodies were found by divers.
Other tragedies and scandals:
Death is not the only form of tragedy the Kennedys have faced; at the age of 23, Rosemary Kennedy, sister to JFK, underwent a prefrontal lobotomy that left her mentally and physically debilitated and institutionalized for the rest of her life. In 1969, Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge in Chappaquiddick, causing his co-passenger Mary Jo Kopechne to drown at the scene. He would later plead guilty for fleeing the scene of a crime since he didn’t report the accident until the next morning. In 1991, the son of Jean Kennedy Smith, William was famously accused of rape and acquitted of the same; with the whole trial being broadcasted and covered nationally.
In the words of Ted Kennedy, the consistent occurrence of ill-fated events involving the family causes all of us to question if "some awful curse does actually hang over all the Kennedys."