The Kennedy family has endured several tragedies over the years.
After being in the public eye for decades due to politics and the entertainment industry, this vibrant family became a household name. The Kennedys have recently made headlines regarding their personal and professional lives – and the number of young and tragic deaths surrounding the famous family is cause for concern.
Some even wonder if there is a “Kennedy Curse” that can explain why so many members have died in horrific accidents.
Keep scrolling for an explanation of the family’s tragic past:
Death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr
President John F. Kennedyhis brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. died at age 29 in a 1944 plane crash while serving in the United States Army during World War II.
The death of Kathleen Kennedy
Four years later, the sister of President John F. Kennedy Kathleen Kennedy died at the age of 29 in a plane crash.
Death of John F. Kennedy
Senator John F. Kennedy and his fiancee Jacqueline Bouvier sail while vacationing at the Kennedy estate in June 1953 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Hy Peskin/Getty ImagesWhile in the office, President John F. Kennedy he was shot Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. JFK, who was 46 years old at the time of his death, was riding in the presidential motorcade with his wife. Jacqueline Kennedy before being shot dead.
Death of Robert F. Kennedy
Brother of President John F. Kennedy Robert F. Kennedy he was assassinated after giving a victory speech during the 1969 presidential campaign.
Ted Kennedy’s accident
Ted Kennedy he waited 10 hours before reporting the accident in 1969 that involved him being injured at the age of 28. Mary Jo Kopechne. Ted later said that he tried to help Kopechne before his tragic death.
Death of David Kennedy
Son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy David Kennedy he died of drug addiction at the age of 28 in 1984.
Death of Michael Kennedy
Son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy Michael Kennedy he was 39 when he died in a skiing accident on New Year’s Eve 1997
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s Deaths
John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
Justin Ide/Boston Herald/Getty ImagesJohn F. Kennedy Jr. again Carolyn Bessette they met in the early 1990s and married in 1996. They died three years later in 1999 in a plane crash off the coast of Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
The late President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., comes from a long line of respected politicians. The president was born in 1954 to Robert F. Kennedy Sr. and Ethel Kennedy and has 11 siblings: Joseph, Kerry, Courtney, Rory, David, Kathleen, Michael, Max, Douglas and Christopher. (David and Michael pass […]
The death of Mary Kennedy
After a divorce and an ongoing custody battle, the wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr Mary Richardson Kennedy he died by suicide at the age of 52 in 2012.
The death of Saoirse Kennedy Hill
Robert and Ethel’s grandson Saoirse Kennedy Hill died of an accidental overdose on his family’s property in Massachusetts at the age of 22 in 2019.
Death of Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean
Grandson of Robert F. Kennedy Jr Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and his youngest son, Gideon, went missing in 2020 after a shipwreck. Their bodies were found that month.
Death of Tatiana Schlossberg
Tatiana Schlossberg
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty ImagesCaroline Kennedydaughter of, Tatiana SchlossbergHe died in December 2025 following a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He was 35 years old.
