Joan Kennedy, the poised and private former wife of Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, died Wednesday at her home in Boston. She was 89. Her death was confirmed by Steve Kerrigan, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the New York Times reported..
Marrying into one of America’s most visible political dynasties, Ms. Kennedy often appeared the picture of grace amid the turbulence surrounding the Kennedy family. Shy by nature and raised outside the political world, she was thrust into the national spotlight when her husband won a Senate seat in 1962, joining his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy at the forefront of American politics.
Her marriage to Ted Kennedy, marked by charm and tragedy alike, was tested by infidelity, political scandal, and her lifelong struggle with alcoholism. In 1969, as her husband faced the fallout from the Chappaquiddick accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne, Ms. Kennedy, then pregnant and on bed rest, stood by his side in public even as her personal life began to unravel.
Beyond politics, she was an accomplished musician who performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and narrated with the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. Her book, The Joy of Classical Music (1992), reflected her deep love of the arts, and she dedicated much of her later life to philanthropy in Boston.
Though her public image was often defined by the Kennedy name, Joan Kennedy forged her own quiet legacy of resilience. Her later years were shadowed by illness and public battles with addiction, during which her children Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick became her guardians.
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