NEED TO KNOW
- Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of JFK, died on December 30, 2025, aged 35.
- Ted Kennedy coined the term “Kennedy curse” after the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident.
- The “curse” traces back decades, beginning when Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash.
For decades, members of the Kennedy family, one of America’s most famous political dynasties, have achieved extraordinary successes while facing heartbreaking misfortunes.
From assassinations and fatal accidents to untimely deaths from illness and personal struggles, successive generations have faced tragedy that has fuelled the notion of a “Kennedy curse.”
On December 30, 2025, Tatiana Schlossberg, JFK’s granddaughter, died at age 35 of cancer.
Tatiana’s recent passing continues the family’s long history of public prominence and personal tragedy.
What is the “Kennedy Curse”?
In May 2019, author J. Randy Taraborrelli, who wrote The Kennedy Heirs, told PEOPLE that the idea first arose with Ted Kennedy after the Chappaquiddick incident.
“It was Ted Kennedy who came up with the concept of the curse after Chappaquiddick, when he was giving his public address, and said he wondered if perhaps that explained the terrible things that had happened to the family, including the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.”
“And after that, the Kennedy curse became this sort of wide-ranging explanation for a lot of things that were happening,” he added.
Did the Kennedy’s believe in the “Curse”?
Taraborelli also told the outlet that the family generally did not believe in a curse, but added: “When things got rough for them, I think they slipped into wondering if maybe there really was some kind of curse.”
Listen to WHO’s new podcast The Group Chat to learn more about the Kennedy Curse:
Is the Kennedy curse real?
Want to make your own mind up? Let’s take a look back on all of the tragic losses in the Kennedy Family:
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., 1915- 1944
On August 12, 1944, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest child of Joseph Sr. and Rose Kennedy and older brother of President John F. Kennedy, died in a plane crash while serving in the United States Navy during World War II.
He was 29 years old and was carrying out a secret mission at the time.
Kathleen Kennedy, 1920- 1948
Four years after Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.’s death, Joseph Sr. and Rose Kennedy faced another heartbreaking loss.
Their daughter, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, died in a plane crash on May 13, 1948, while traveling from Paris to the French Riviera at 28-years-old.
John F. Kennedy, 1917- 1963
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
He was traveling in the presidential motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally’s wife, Nellie, when Lee Harvey Oswald fatally shot him.
The 35th president of the United States was 46 years old.
Robert F. Kennedy, 1925- 1968
Five years after JFK’s assassination, on June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, 42, was killed while campaigning for president.
The former senator and attorney general was shot after delivering a victory speech at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, following his win in the California primary.
Ted Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick incident of 1969
On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Edgartown, Massachusetts, resulting in the death of 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, who became trapped inside the vehicle.
According to Kennedy, he, his cousin Joe Gargan, and friend Paul Markham tried to rescue her.
However, Kennedy did not report the incident until 10 hours later.
David Kennedy, 1955- 1984
Son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, David Kennedy, died of a drug overdose on April 25, 1984, in Palm Beach, Florida.
He was 28 years old.
Michael Kennedy, 1958- 1997
On New Year’s Eve 1997, Michael Kennedy, son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, died in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado.
He was 39 years old.
John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960) and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (1966)- 1999
On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard, along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.
Kennedy Jr. was piloting the aircraft at the time of the accident. He was 38 years old.
Mary Kennedy, 1959- 2012
On May 16, 2012, Mary Richardson Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died by suicide.
Her family discovered her body in a barn on their Bedford, New York, property.
She was 52 years old and in the midst of a divorce and custody dispute at the time.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill, 1997- 2019
On August 1, 2019, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, granddaughter of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, was found dead at the family’s estate in Massachusetts.
She was 22 years old, and authorities determined her death was caused by an accidental overdose.
Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 1979- 2020
On April 2, 2020, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and her young son, Gideon, went missing after a canoeing accident in Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland authorities said strong winds overtook the pair while they were canoeing. “They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn’t get back in,” David said.
Rescuers recovered Maeve’s body on April 6, about 2.5 miles from the property, and found Gideon’s two days later.
Tatiana Schlossberg 1990- 2025
On December 30, 2023, Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, died at the age of 35.
She had been living with a rare form of leukemia and had previously shared her diagnosis publicly in an essay for The New Yorker.
The diagnosis came shortly after she gave birth to her second child when doctors observed that her unusually high white blood cell count.
Tatiana leaves behind her husband, George Moran, their children, her parents, Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, and her brother, Jack Schlossberg.
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