PHOTOSInside the Kennedy Curse: Family's Deaths, Assassinations and Tragedies Explored
Tatiana Schlossberg's death renewed public discussion of the long-discussed Kennedy curse surrounding the prominent American political dynasty.
March 14 2026, Published 1:05 a.m. ET
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Died During World War II
Tatiana Schlossberg's death triggered the renewed talks about the 'Kennedy curse.'
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 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
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 five years apart.
A few months after Patrick died, on November 22, 1963, then-President JFK was assassinated during a motorcade in Dallas. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at the age of 46.
Then, on June 5, 1968, JFK's brother Robert F. Kennedy was shot while on a presidential campaign trail at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He died the following day at the age of 42.
Ted Kennedy Was Involved in the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident
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.
The former senator died in August 2009. He was 77.
David Anthony Kennedy Died of an Overdose
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 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 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.
He was 38.
Kara Kennedy Died After Working Out at a Gym
Kara Kennedy was diagnosed with lung cancer years before her death.
Edward Kennedy's daughter, Kara Kennedy, died of cardiac arrest after working out at a gym in Washington, D.C. She was 51.
According to health experts, the fatal heart failure may have been related to the cancer treatment she underwent for her lung cancer years prior.
Mary Richardson Kennedy Died by Suicide
Mary Richardson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. separated in 2010.
Amid her divorce from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mary Richardson Kennedy died by suicide after hanging herself in a barn behind her Bedford, N.Y., estate on May 16, 2012. She was 52 years old.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill Died From an Accidental Overdose
Saoirse Kennedy Hill died of an accidental overdose.
On August 1, 2019, Saoirse Kennedy Hill was found dead at the family's property in Massachusetts following an accidental overdose.
"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother, Courtney; her father, Paul; her stepmother, Stephanie; and her grandmother, Ethel," the Kennedys said in a statement.
The 22-year-old reportedly had a mixture of prescription drugs, alcohol and methadone in her system at the time of her death.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and Gideon Drowned in Maryland
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and her son, Gideon, died in a canoeing accident.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her eight-year-old son, Gideon, went missing on April 2, 2020, after a canoeing accident in Chesapeake Bay.
The matriarch's body was found on April 6, 2020, while Gideon's was recovered two days later.
Tatiana Schlossberg Died of Cancer
Tatiana Schlossberg revealed her cancer diagnosis in an essay.
In an essay for The New Yorker published in November 2025, Tatiana Schlossberg confirmed she was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer hours after giving birth to her second child in 2024.
The mom-of-two died five weeks after the essay's publication, on December 30, 2025, at the age of 35.
