What happened to JFK Jr.?

In 1963, a poignant photograph of a three-year-old boy saluting his father’s casket during his funeral became nation’s heartbreak and hope simultaneously. This young boy was John F. Kennedy Jr., and the casket belonged to his father, President John F. Kennedy.

JFK Jr. was born just a few weeks after his father was elected president, and he spent his early years in the White House. He studied at Brown University, where he earned a degree in American Studies in 1983. He later earned a law degree from New York University. Despite his several attempts at passing the bar exam (failing twice before succeeding), his persistence and eventual success in law did not define his career.

Kennedy graduated in 1983 and spent some time in India, where he worked with Mother Teresa, which reflected his interests in social issues at that time. After college, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan under Robert Morgenthau for four years. In 1995, JFK Jr. launched George magazine, a glossy monthly that blended politics with celebrity culture. Despite initial success, the magazine struggled financially and faced criticism for not being serious enough about its political content.

JFK Jr.’s personal life was always under the microscope

Kennedy’s personal life was a frequent subject of tabloid headlines. After all, he was a child of privilege, born into the closest thing America had to a royal family. His dashing good looks earned him the title of “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine in 1988. Kennedy was linked with numerous celebrities throughout his life, including actresses and models.

His relationship with Daryl Hannah in the early ’90s drew considerable attention. In 1996, he married Carolyn Bessette, a publicist for Calvin Klein, in a private ceremony on Cumberland Island, Georgia. However, the Kennedy family’s tragic legacy, often dubbed the “Kennedy Curse,” loomed large.

The Kennedy Curse

In 1944, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, died in a plane crash during World War II. In 1948, their daughter Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy died in a plane crash in France. The curse seemed to follow the next generation of Kennedys as well. In 1963, JFK was assassinated. This tragedy was compounded by the assassination of JFK’s brother, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, just four years later in 1968. In 1984, David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, died of a drug overdose in a hotel room in Palm Beach, Florida. In 1997, Michael Kennedy, another son of Robert F. Kennedy, died in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado. Finally, it was John F. Kennedy Jr.’s turn to face tragedy.

On July 16, 1999, JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette were reported missing after their Piper Saratoga aircraft, piloted by Kennedy, failed to arrive as scheduled at Martha’s Vineyard. After a days-long search, the wreckage was located in the Atlantic Ocean off Martha’s Vineyard; there were no survivors. Kennedy was relatively inexperienced in flying, and the conditions that night were less than ideal, with hazy visibility and a challenging route. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the probable cause of the crash was his failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which led to spatial disorientation.

Over 350 mourners attended the memorial service at the Church of St. Thomas More in Manhattan, including President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Muhammad Ali. John Jr. and Carolyn were later cremated and their ashes scattered at sea off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard by friends and family. In death as in life, John Jr. could not escape the shadow of his father’s legacy. He may have been America’s prince, but he was never allowed to be his own man.