The Fate of the Kennedys: A Family History Marked by Tragedy

The Kennedy family has suffered many tragedies. Some of its members died far too young.

Here you can learn more about the Kennedys' tragic family histories.

It all began in 1941 with Rosemary Kennedy, the intellectually disabled sister of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. She was reportedly subjected to a lobotomy—a brain surgery—at her father’s request. Afterward, Rosemary Kennedy could no longer walk or speak properly.

Three years later, Rosemary's brother, Joseph Kennedy Jr., was killed when the plane he was on exploded during World War II. Her other brother, John F. Kennedy, also met a tragic fate (see next picture)

John F. Kennedy (died at age 46) was the 35th President of the United States of America. The Democrat was unable to complete his term, as he was shot and killed on November 22, 1963, during a campaign rally in Dallas. The suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, was killed a few days after Kennedy’s death. To this day, many conspiracy theories surround his death. His wife, Jackie, also had to endure several tragic blows. Click through to find out more.

Jackie Kennedy had to endure a great deal during her marriage to John F. Kennedy. She knew about her husband’s many extramarital affairs. In 1955 and 1956, the First Lady suffered two miscarriages. In 1963, her son Patrick died just two days after his birth. Yet Jackie never let her grief show in public. After her husband’s assassination, she married Greek shipping magnate and billionaire Aristotle Onassis in 1968. However, it was not to be a happy marriage. Onassis died after only seven years. In February 1994, it was announced that Jackie Kennedy had been diagnosed with lymph node cancer. She died of the disease just a few months later, on May 19, 1994. JFK’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy, sadly died under tragic circumstances (see next image)

Shortly after his acceptance speech following his election victories in South Dakota and California, John F. Kennedy’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy (d. age 42), was shot and fatally wounded. He succumbed to his injuries on June 6, 1968. His killer, Sirhan Sirhan, remains in prison to this day.

John F. Kennedy's brother and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy had also been through a lot: He was involved in a plane crash, which he survived. A few years later, he drove his car off a bridge, but survived that as well. Ted Kennedy then died of a brain tumor in 2009.

The Kennedy curse didn't spare JFK's children either. David Kennedy died of an overdose, and Michael Kennedy died in a skiing accident. Find out on the next page what tragedy befell John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn.

On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash. When the plane crashed off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, John F. Kennedy Jr., then 38, was piloting the aircraft himself. The takeoff had already been delayed; it was dark and visibility was poor; and, unlike usual, Kennedy did not have his flight instructor by his side. Apparently, he had lost his bearings over the ocean.