What Is the Kennedy Curse? A Historical Timeline of Tragedy

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Dive into the dark history of the Kennedy family & their untimely deaths

Co-authored by Chelsey Weber-Smith and Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: September 11, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What is the Kennedy family curse?
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• Timeline of Events
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• Origins of the Curse
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• Is it real?
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• Related Conspiracies
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• FAQs
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• Tips
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• Warnings

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America’s so-called royal family is often associated with wealth, glamour, and power, but this ancestral line features just as much tragedy as it does privilege. In a phenomenon referred to as the Kennedy curse, several members of the Kennedy line—including President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy—have suffered tragic incidents and deaths. But where does this curse come from, and is it really real? Keep reading for these answers to these questions, plus more information about the exact timeline of Kennedy-related catastrophes and other conspiracies associated with the family.

The Curse of the Kennedy Family

The Kennedy family curse refers to multiple tragic events—including deaths, plane crashes, and assassinations—that have occurred in the Kennedy family over generations. The most famous of these unfortunate events is the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

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Section 1 of 6:

What is the Kennedy family curse?

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1. 
   The Kennedy curse is a series of tragedies occurring in the Kennedy family. These tragic events include unexpected deaths, accidents, and assassinations that have all occurred in a short amount of time within the famous and wealthy family. The descendents of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., in particular, have suffered these misfortunes. Due to the number of unfortunate incidents in this family line—including multiple political assassinations and plane crashes—many people have speculated about a supposed curse placed on the family.

   • Some believers point to the fact that not just the family themselves have been affected. In fact, many family friends, associates, and other relatives of the Kennedys have been killed or injured in freak accidents or tragedies.
   • For instance, Athalia Ponsell Lindsley, former fiancee of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., was murdered at her home in 1974. In other examples, Ted Kennedy survived a 1964 plane crash that killed one of his aides and the pilot, while Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. survived a 1973 car crash that paralyzed his passenger (Pam Kelley) and injured his brother (David A. Kennedy).
   • Ted Kennedy himself was quoted as questioning if “some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys.”
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Section 2 of 6:

Timeline of Kennedy Family Tragedies

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1. 
   1
   1941: Rosemary Kennedy is secretly lobotomized by her father. Rosemary Kennedy was the first daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (making her sister to President John F. Kennedy). She was born with intellectual disabilities, which made her family perceive her as behaviorally-challenged when compared to her siblings. In 1941, when Rosemary was 23, her father decided to have a lobotomy performed and neglected to inform the rest of the family until after the procedure.

   • At the time, lobotomies were extremely experimental and were not accepted by the American Medical Association.
   • Supporters of the lobotomy claimed that it would reduce depression and aggression. Instead, in Rosemary’s case, the procedure left her with severe and permanent brain damage. From then on, the eldest Kennedy daughter had a diminished intellectual capacity and was unable to effectively walk or talk.
   • As a result, Rosemary was sent to live the rest of her life isolated in an institution where her situation was kept secret by the family for decades. Only later in life did her family begin to visit her, until her passing away in 2005.
2. 2
   1944: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. dies in an airplane explosion. At 29 years old, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was killed in action during World War II. Joseph, who was the older brother of John F. Kennedy and the eldest child of Rose and Joseph Sr., was taking part in Operation Aphrodite, one of the first military operations involving pilotless aircraft (which we’d now call drones). Kennedy and his copilot, Wilford J. Willy, were at an altitude of 610 meters (2,000 feet) when the explosives in the aircraft detonated. A definitive cause of the explosion was never determined, and only the engines of the plane were ever discovered.
3. 3
   1948: Kathleen Kennedy dies in a plane crash. Four years after the aircraft death of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., his younger sister, Kathleen Kennedy, died in a plane crash. On May 13th, 1948, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy was flying from Paris to the French Riviera when her private plane crashed. The crash was apparently caused by severe turbulence and a violent storm. Kick was only 28 at the time of the crash.
4. 4
   1963: Newborn Patrick Kennedy dies due to birth complications. In 1963, Jackie Kennedy gave birth to Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the youngest child of her and her husband, President John F. Kennedy. The infant Patrick was born prematurely and, despite desperate medical interventions, passed away 39 hours after his birth due to complications of hyaline membrane disease (HMD).

   • This event was insurmountably tragic for both the first family and the nation’s people. It brought HMD (now infantile respiratory distress syndrome) into the public consciousness, inspiring further research and medical developments.
   • Patrick’s death came after Jackie Kennedy had already birthed three children: Caroline, John Jr., and Arabella. Arabella, the eldest child of the Kennedys, was tragically stillborn. Jackie also suffered a miscarriage in 1955.
5. 5
   1963: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Perhaps the most famous of all events ascribed to the Kennedy curse, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22nd, 1963. According to official reports, JFK was shot by former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a presidential motorcade. The President was driven to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead after arrival. JFK was 46 years old at the time.
6. 6
   1968: Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated. After his brother’s political assassination, Robert F. Kennedy became a prominent contender for President of the United States. As a prominent member of the Democratic Party and former senator and attorney general, RFK (or “Bobby”) is often lauded as an icon of modern American liberalism. However, after winning the California primary for the 1968 presidential election, RFK was shot after his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Bobby Kennedy was 42 years old at the time.
7. 7
   1969: Ted Kennedy drives his car off a bridge, killing Mary Jo Kopechne. In an event known as the Chappaquiddick incident, Ted Kennedy (brother of JFK and RFK) drove his car off of a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. Mary Jo Kopechne, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died inside the car after it overturned in Poucha Pond shortly after midnight on July 19th, 1969. Kennedy was able to swim free from the car, but he maintained in his statements that he tried and failed to rescue Kopechne from the vehicle.

   • Kennedy, who was a U.S. senator at the time, neglected to report the incident to the police for more than 10 hours. Instead, he fled the crash site. Kopechne’s body had already been retrieved from Kennedy’s car by a diver.
   • A few days later, Kennedy pled guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended jail sentence. Some claimed that Kennedy had been operating his vehicle negligently or recklessly, although he maintained that his car merely skidded off of the narrow bridge.
   • As a result of this incident, Kennedy decided not to run for president in 1972 and 1976. The death of Kopechne, particularly with Kennedy’s inconsistent story about the events causing the crash, is likely to have undermined his chances of ever becoming president. He did run for office in 1980, but lost the nomination to Jimmy Carter.
   • Mary Jo Kopechne was 28 years old and one of the “Boiler Room Girls,” a close group of women who worked on Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. The party that she attended that night—alongside Ted Kennedy—was in honor of the work of the Boiler Room Girls.
8. 8
   1984: David Kennedy dies of a drug overdose. David Kennedy, the son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, died at 28 years old of a drug overdose in Palm Beach, Florida. According to reports, Kennedy was found dead in his hotel room after he’d missed his flight home to Boston. There aren’t many substantial details about the events leading up to Kennedy’s overdose, except for that he likely struggled with substance abuse addiction for many years before his tragic death.
9. 9
   1997: Michael Kennedy is killed in a skiing accident. Michael Kennedy was a son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, making him the brother of David Kennedy (who died in 1984 of an overdose). Michael was skiing in Aspen, Colorado on New Year’s Eve, 1997. Official reports stated that Kennedy accidentally crashed into a tree before being transported to Aspen Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

   • Unconfirmed statements have claimed that Kennedy and his friends were tossing around a football as they skied, which may explain the distraction that led to him colliding with the tree.
10. 10
    1999: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette are killed in a plane crash. On July 16th, 1999, JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, died in a plane crash off of Massachusetts' Martha’s Vineyard. JFK Jr., the eldest son of President John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, was piloting the single-engine plane, which also carried his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette.

    • At 38 years old, JFK Jr. had had his pilot’s license for just over one year at the time of the crash. He was certified to fly under favorable weather conditions, but he did not have an instrument rating—meaning he wasn’t practiced in navigating through low-visibility weather.
    • According to official reports, weather conditions were initially forecasted to be fair during the flight. However, at the time of takeoff, visibility was reduced and Kennedy reportedly became disoriented in the hazy weather. The plane crashed about an hour into its flight.
    • Kennedy was reported missing by a relative the next morning, and the U.S. Air Force and the Coast Guard launched a search for the plane around Martha’s Vineyard. On July 21st, the bodies of John, Carolyn, and Lauren were recovered by divers from the plane’s underwater wreckage.
    • The crash was a huge news story at the time, considering JFK Jr.’s status as the former president’s son and that the incident supported the supposed Kennedy “curse.” The public also empathized with the Bessette family, who lost two children and later reached a settlement for wrongful death with JFK Jr.’s estate.
11. 11
    2012: Mary Richardson Kennedy dies by suicide. Mary Richardson Kennedy was not a Kennedy by blood, but rather married into the family through her estranged husband, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. On May 16th, 2012, Richardson’s body was found in a barn behind her home in Bedford, New York. At the time of her death, Richardson was 52 years old and navigating a divorce and custody battle.

    • According to the Westchester County medical examiner, Richardson died of asphyxiation due to hanging. Her death was ruled a suicide.
    • Mary Kennedy was a designer who specialized in green architecture. Notably, she and her former husband transformed their fixer-upper home into an eco-friendly residence. She also worked on the renovation of Washington’s Naval Observatory, the official residence of the United States vice president.
12. 12
    2019: Saoirse Kennedy Hill dies from an accidental overdose. Saoirse Kennedy Hill was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and the granddaughter of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy. On August 1st, 2019, first responders were called to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. From there, they took Kennedy Hill to Cape Cod Hospital, where the 22-year-old was pronounced dead.

    • According to toxicology reports in her death certificate, Kennedy Hill had acute methadone, diazepam, nordiazepam, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine and ethanol toxicity in her system at the time of death.
    • Kennedy Hill was a student at Boston College who was due to graduate from the school’s communications college in 2020. She was passionate about human rights and women’s empowerment, and she’d spoken out publicly as an advocate for mental health after her own experiences with depression.
13. 13
    2020: Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and her son die in a canoeing accident. In 2020, Maeve—the granddaughter of RFK—was visiting her mother’s waterfront home in Shady Side, Maryland. After a ball had floated out into the water, she and her son Gideon popped into a canoe to retrieve it. The pair reportedly went missing, according to Maeve’s husband, David McKean. As they chased after the ball, they got out further than expected and couldn’t get back in due to strong winds and high waves.

    • Four days after the mother and son went missing, Maeve’s body was recovered in Chesapeake Bay by searchers from the Charles County Dive and Rescue. Gideon’s body was found two days later. Maeve was 40 years old and Gideon was 8 at the time of the incident.
    • Maeve was a human rights attorney who was said to passionately fight for marginalized communities and individuals throughout her life. She particularly focused on issues relating to women, girls, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
    • Under the Obama administration, she was the first senior advisor for human rights within the U.S. Department of State’s Global AIDS program.
    • In a Facebook post, widower David McKean described his wife as having “endless energy” and as “the brightest light [he had] ever known.” Writing about his son, David said that Gideon was “deeply compassionate,” “incredibly social, athletic, and courageous.”
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Section 3 of 6:

Where did the Kennedy curse come from?

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1. 
   1
   The most popular origin story for the curse is that a rabbi cursed Joe Kennedy. According to legend, Rav Aharon Kotler asked Joe Kennedy (a confidante of then-President Roosevelt) for help getting certificates for European Jews during World War II. Kennedy, who has been accused of being anti-Semitic, refused to assist the rabbi. In turn, Rav Aharon cursed the eldest Kennedy and told him that he would never see joy from his descendants.

   • However, this story is unsubstantiated. Other sources claim that a Kennedy ancestor who supposedly profiteered from the slave trade may be the origin of the curse.
2. 
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   Historians, on the other hand, blame a family history of ruthless achievement and hubris. Instead of a supernatural curse, most experts claim that the Kennedy misfortunes result from a combination of hubris, arrogance, and narcissism. Author Edward Klein, for instance, writes about how early founders of the Kennedy empire may have been engaging in outrageous behaviors due to feelings of vulnerability or social stigma around being Irish. Once the family’s social status and wealth had been established, later generations, who grew up with ample money and privilege, may have engaged in thrill-seeking and risky behaviors due to feelings of entitlement and an invincible arrogance.

   • Klein also mentions the parenting styles of Joe and Rose Kennedy. Joe allegedly pushed hard for extreme excellence and victory on behalf of his children, while Rose Kennedy was a strict disciplinarian who emphasized religious devotion in her mothering.
   • In more modern interpretations, a 2024 book by Maureen Callahan, Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed, argues that the true “curse” of the Kennedys is the womanizing and misogyny committed by male members of the family.
   • In January 2025, Caroline Kennedy also accused her cousin Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of encouraging his siblings to abuse drugs, alcohol, and other illegal substances.
   • While Caroline Kennedy didn’t allude to the curse in any way, it is notable that multiple Kennedys have died of drug overdoses—incidents which are often used to demonstrate the “curse.”
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Section 4 of 6:

Is the Kennedy curse real?

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1. 
   While many believe in the Kennedy curse, there’s no evidence that it’s real. The idea of a curse being set on the Kennedy clan is largely debated and there’s no clear way to prove the theory true. Even the supposed origin stories of the curse (e.g., that Joe Kennedy was cursed by Rav Aharon Kotler) have never been substantiated by witness statements or official reports.

   • However, while there’s no scientific or historical basis for the curse, it remains a popular belief. The Kennedy family has endured multiple plane crashes, drug overdoses, and assassinations, as well as fatal skiing, boating, and car accidents, so it’s not surprising that the public has connected these tragic incidents with the idea of a curse.
   • The prospect of a “curse” became especially popular after the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident, in which Ted Kennedy publicly mused on the idea of a family curse after his own car accident that took the life of his passenger.
   • Skeptics, on the other hand, argue that it’s not so unbelievable that a large extended family with a high level of notoriety and privilege to experience a number of tragic events over the course of several decades and generations.

Section 5 of 6:

Related Conspiracy Theories

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1. 1
   The Lone Gunman at JFK’s Assassination Ever since President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963, there have been numerous conspiracy theories around the truth of his death and doubts surrounding the official story shared by the United States government. According to official reports and the conclusion drawn by the Warren Commission, JFK was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, who acted alone. This version of events is often referred to as “the lone gunman” theory.

   • The conspiracy theories, on the other hand, allege that various entities such as the CIA, Mafia, or KGB may have been involved. Other popular stories speculate that then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro were involved.
   • Most of these theories were spawned by pieces of evidence included in the Warren Commission’s findings. For example, there were contradictions among witnesses on the number of shots heard and where they were shot from.
   • Critics also claim that it would be nearly impossible for Oswald to fire three shots in 8.6 seconds and successfully hit his target in a moving vehicle.
   • While labeled as a conspiracy theory, an overwhelming number of Americans believe that there was some sort of cover-up surrounding JFK’s death. As of 2023, 65% of U.S. citizens believe that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone.
2. 2
   The Curse of Tippecanoe The supposed “Curse of Tippecanoe” refers to a conspiracy theory that US presidents who were elected in years that end in zero will die in office. This theory originates from the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, in which William Henry Harrison (who later became president) fought on Native American grounds against a group of warriors led by Tecumseh. The battle became so famous that Harrison’s nickname became “Old Tippecanoe.” However, Harrison’s victory was so angering to the Native Americans that they (allegedly) placed a curse on his name.

   • Soon thereafter, William Henry Harrison was elected to be President of the United States in 1840. However, President Harrison died in office from pneumonia just one month after his inauguration.
   • From then on, nearly every president who was elected in a year ending with “0” died in office, including:
     • Abraham Lincoln (elected 1860, assassinated in 1865)
     • James A. Garfield (elected 1880, assassinated in 1881)
     • William McKinley (elected 1900, assassinated in 1901)
     • Warren G. Harding (elected 1920, died of pneumonia in 1923)
     • Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected in 1940, died of a brain hemorrhage in 1945)
     • John F. Kennedy (elected 1960, assassinated in 1963)
   • The only president who’s died in office but wasn’t elected in a “0” year was Zachary Taylor. President Taylor died in 1850 after being elected in 1848.
   • However, it seems that the curse was broken, as the past three presidents to be elected in a year ending with “0” have all survived. They are Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden.
3. 3
   The Death of Marilyn Monroe Many conspiracy theories have circulated about a possible Kennedy involvement in Marilyn Monroe’s death. According to official reports, the iconic American actress and model died of an accidental overdose. However, many people are suspicious of these reports, as Monroe was romantically linked to then-President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, at the time of her death. Robert Kennedy is more so tied to the death of Monroe, as an alleged tape of the night of her death contains audio of Robert’s voice alongside Monroe’s screams.

   • During a BBC interview in 1983, the actress’ former live-in housekeeper, Eunice Murray, also seemed to verify that Bobby Kennedy was at the house on the night that Monroe died.
   • Fueling the rumors of the Kennedys’ involvement, multiple people close to the investigation were given high-profile new jobs after their investigation concluded that Monroe’s death was an accidental overdose. Marilyn’s publicist was given a job with the U.S. Information Agency, for example.
   • However, while many believe that the Kennedys covered up something around Monroe’s death, they don’t necessarily believe that the Kennedy brothers murdered her. Instead, the cover up may have only served to hide the affairs that the two brothers allegedly had with the star—especially with the allegation that Bobby was at her home shortly before her death.
   • Others do believe that Monroe’s death was caused by the Kennedys—Joe DiMaggio, baseball legend and former husband of the actress, claimed that all of the Kennedys were “lady-killers” and that they “did in [his] poor Marilyn.”
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Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions About the Kennedy Family

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1. 1
   What were John F. Kennedy's last words? The reported final words of President John F. Kennedy were “No, they sure can’t.” This utterance was in response to Nellie Connally, who was sitting in the front seat of the motorcade as it drove through Dallas’ Dealey Plaza. Connally turned to Kennedy and said, “Mr. President, they can't make you believe now that there are not some in Dallas who love and appreciate you, can they?” Kennedy replied, “No, they sure can’t,” before being shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.
2. 2
   What were Jackie Kennedy's last words to JFK? According to Jackie herself, her last words to her husband were “Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you.” In an interview for a Life magazine story, Mrs. Kennedy describes hearing a crack before turning to see a puzzled expression on her husband’s face. She then realized that her husband had been shot before he slumped in his lap. After the shots were fired, Jackie recalls screaming as the car raced toward the hospital, but also leaning down to whisper in his ear as he breathed raggedly, “Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you.”
3. 3
   What disease did JFK suffer from? President John F. Kennedy suffered from Addison’s disease, which caused the adrenal glands to not produce enough of hormones like cortisol and aldosterone. Common symptoms of Addison’s disease include fatigue, digestive issues, and low blood pressure. Kennedy was diagnosed with Addison’s in 1947, but he also struggled with back problems and osteoporosis. He also contracted scarlet fever as a child.
4. 4
   How many Kennedys are still alive? Many members of the Kennedy family are still alive. The notable American family—often referred to as America’s first family—boasts many descendants and relatives. However, there’s only one surviving member of President John F. Kennedy’s immediate family: Caroline Kennedy. As of March 2025, Caroline is the only living child of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy. She’s made a name for herself as an author, diplomat, and attorney, and she also served as a U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration as well as to Australia during the Biden administration.

   • Other notable living members of the Kennedy family include:
     • Jack Schlossberg: Political correspondent and grandson of John F. Kennedy.
     • Joe Kennedy III: Former United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy.
     • Victoria Reggie Kennedy: Former U.S. ambassador to Austria and wife of Ted Kennedy.
     • Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist, current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and son of Robert F. Kennedy.
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Tips

• Curious to learn more about the Kennedy curse? There are plenty of movies, TV shows, and books that cover this subject in-depth. Try a highly-rated and authoritative book like The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years by Edward Klein.
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Warnings

• Please be aware that, despite their social standing and fame, the Kennedys are a family of real individuals with still-living relatives and friends. When sharing and discussing these stories, remain respectful of the family’s privacy and feelings of grief.
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