JOAN Kennedy, the first wife of Senator Ted Kennedy, has died at 89.
The sole survivor of the original Kennedy dynasty died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday.
AFP via Getty ImagesJoan Kennedy, the first wife of Senator Ted Kennedy, has died at 89[/caption]
GettyThe couple was married at the height of the Kennedy family’s political influence[/caption]
Her death was confirmed by Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party Steve Kerrigan, according to GoLocalProv.
Kennedy was a key reserved figure during the political family’s mythical Camelot period, which was sparked by John F Kennedy’s presidential election in 1960.
However, her 22-year-long marriage to Ted was peppered with tragedy, as she suffered from addiction and miscarriages as she struggled to cope with her sickly children.
Kennedy was born in 1936 and was raised in the suburbs by her Roman Catholic family.
She went on to earn a master’s degree in education and became a talented classical pianist.
Kennedy met Ted in 1957 at Manhattanville College after his older sister Jean Kennedy introduced them.
They got engaged less than a year after meeting and, despite both of them having hesitations, got married quickly with the blessing of patriarch Joe Kennedy.
In 1962, Ted made history by becoming the youngest ever senator to be elected to Congress, and she made history by being the youngest wife in the upper chamber.
Kennedy was married to Ted from 1958 until 1983, and they shared three children, Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick.
Kara, a filmmaker and producer, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002 and died from a heart attack in 2011.
Ted Jr, a senator, developed bone cancer when he was 12 and had to have part of his leg removed.
Kennedy suffered several miscarriages and lost a baby soon after her husband was infamously involved in a controversial car crash off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts in 1969.
The former senator was driving secretary Mary Jo Kopechne after a party when his car plunged into the waters.
Kopechne died in the waters, but Kennedy escaped the crash and failed to alert authorities about the incident until the following day.
Kennedy later admitted in court that he fled the scene, sparking rumors about drinking issues and a potential affair.
However, he continued to serve as a senator until he died in 2009.
Kennedy and Ted separated in 1978, but stayed together throughout Ted’s failed presidential bid in 1980, when he lost the nomination to Jimmy Carter.
In 1981, the couple announced their plans to get a divorce.
ADDICTION STRUGGLES
Kennedy was open about her struggles with alcoholism, which started to develop during her marriage to Ted.
In 1978, she admitted that she used alcohol to help her cope with various tragedies in an interview with People.
She said, “At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties.
“Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrow.”
Kennedy was an advocate for Alcoholics Anonymous, but continued to struggle with her sobriety for years.
She had several highly publicized drunk driving incidents and health crises, resulting in Ted Jr becoming her guardian in 2004.
Kennedy lived a quiet life in her final years, splitting her time between Boston and Cape Cod.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
