While John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette didn’t have any children, some may not have known until Love Story that the pair shared a dog together. Back in 1995, the couple adopted a Canaan dog named Friday – a black and white terrier who was often spotted on walks with them.
Friday was also there during *that* infamous Central Park fight.
But after John and Carolyn’s tragic deaths in 1999, what happened to their beloved pet pooch?
JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette lavished Friday with ‘love’
John adopted Friday a year before his marriage to Carolyn.
It’s unknown about the origins of the pet’s name; some claim it was already chosen by the breeder while others suggest that it referred to the day of the week that Friday went with John to his office.
Writing in his memoir The Men We Became: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr., Robert Littell wrote: “Though they didn’t have children, John and Carolyn lavished absurd amounts of love and attention on their animals.
“Friday had the life of a pasha; he was coddled, cared for, and fussed over endlessly.
“The two of them could tell Friday stories for hours. The dog was photographed by Herb Ritts, among others, because he was ‘so regal’,” he claimed.”
The pair also had a “truly mean black cat” named Ruby “that Carolyn doted on even while warning everyone in sight to stay away because they’d get hurt.”
The pets “just seem so sad” after John and Carolyn’s deaths
In 1999, tragedy struck when John and Carolyn (as well as Carolyn’s sister) were killed in a plane crash while flying to John’s cousin, Rory Kennedy, wedding.
For several weeks, up until the crash, Friday and Ruby had been staying at the compound where the wedding was to take place.
Because of the couple’s busy schedules in New York, Kennedy relatives were looking after the pets.
John and Carolyn had planned to bring their pets home with them on the return trip.
However, after their owners’ deaths, a family friend told The New York Post that the pets “just seemed so sad”.
“Friday has been whining and whimpering, wondering where John is. And Ruby seems listless – she wants Carolyn back.”
What happened to the pets after John and Carolyn’s deaths?
After the crash, Friday was reportedly given to Efigenio “Effie” Pinheiro, who had served as an assistant to John’s mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the final years before her death in 1994.
Friday was spotted on walks around New York’s Upper West Side and Central Park.
Pinheiro then left Ruby with a friend and took the four-year-old dog to Portugal, who reportedly wasn’t keen to get into a First Class box at Newark Airport’s cargo area.
“Friday had to be forced into the box. He didn’t want to go. He was crying and seemed panicked,” an eyewitness said.
“The whole thing was heartbreaking. Friday’s whole world was John. Now the poor dog doesn’t know which end is up.”
Friday reportedly died in Portugal in 2002.
Where can I watch Love Story in Australia?
Love Story is available to stream in Australia on Disney+.
New episodes are dropping weekly, on Fridays, so make sure you’re signed up here to watch.
You are also able to watch other shows by Ryan – including Glee, American Crime Story and Feud – on the streamer.
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