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Kennedy curse

The Kennedy curse is a series of deaths, accidents, assassinations, and other calamities involving members of the American Kennedy family.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The alleged curse has primarily struck the descendants of businessman Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., but it has also affected family friends, associates, and other relatives. Political assassinations and plane crashes have been the most common manifestations of the "curse". Following the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969, Ted Kennedy is quoted saying he questioned if "some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys."[9] However skeptics argue that it is not improbable for a large extended family to experience similar events over the course of several generations.[10][11]

August 12, 1944 – died when the military aircraft he was piloting exploded over East Suffolk, England.[12]

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

September 9, 1944 – , newlywed husband of Kathleen Kennedy, was fatally shot by a German sniper while leading his company near Heppen, Belgium.[13]

William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington

May 13, 1948 – Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (formally known as ) died in a plane crash in France.[4][5][6][14]

Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington

August 23, 1956 – Arabella Kennedy died at birth.

[15]

August 9, 1963 – died of infant respiratory distress syndrome two days after his premature birth on August 7 in Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts.[15]

Patrick Bouvier Kennedy

November 22, 1963 – U.S. President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas.[15]

John F. Kennedy

June 5, 1968 – U.S. Senator and Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night of his victory in the California primary; Robert died the following morning.[4][5][6][14]

Democratic presidential candidate

April 25, 1984 – David A. Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, died of a drug overdose in a hotel room.[16]

Palm Beach, Florida

December 31, 1997 – died in a skiing accident after crashing into a tree in Aspen, Colorado.[17][1][4][5][6][18][14]

Michael LeMoyne Kennedy

July 16, 1999 – died when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

John F. Kennedy Jr.

September 16, 2011 – died of a heart attack while exercising in a Washington, D.C. health club.

Kara Kennedy

May 16, 2012 – died by suicide on the grounds of her home in Bedford, New York.[14][19]

Mary Richardson Kennedy

August 1, 2019 – Saoirse Kennedy Hill, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died of an accidental overdose after being found unresponsive at the in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

Kennedy Compound

April 2, 2020 – disappeared with her eight-year-old son, Gideon, during a short canoe trip in the Chesapeake Bay.[20] Their bodies were recovered from the Chesapeake later that week.[21] Autopsies revealed that both had accidentally drowned in the turbulent and chilly water of the Chesapeake Bay.[22]

Maeve Kennedy McKean

Curse of Tippecanoe

another prominent New England family that faced similar experiences

Sedgwick family

an American professional wrestling family that faced similar experiences

Von Erich family

(2004) The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-31293-0[1]

Klein, Edward

Citations


Book sources