For decades, the Kennedys have been one of the best-known political families in the United States. But their fame, influence and power have been accompanied by a long history of losses that have shaken public opinion.
Murders, plane crashes, illnesses and premature deaths have created the legend known as the “Kennedy curse.”
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The death of Kyle Kennedy, the 42-year-old granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, has brought the story back into the spotlight. She died on September 21 at her home in Westwood; the cause of death has not been disclosed. Kyle’s life had been marked by difficulties, including a serious spinal injury in 2020 that caused paralysis and long-term disability.
She advocated for the rights of people with disabilities and, despite the challenges, tried to raise her two sons. Earlier, she had lost her daughter, Josie, who died just days after birth. When she was 13, Kyle also lost her father, Michael Kennedy, who suffered a fatal skiing accident in Aspen on New Year’s Eve in 1997.
Another recent loss in the family was that of Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy. She died on December 30, 2025, at the age of 35, after battling a rare and aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia.
The family’s roots trace back to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, a wealthy businessman with political ambitions. He and his wife, Rose Fitzgerald, had nine children, while his goal was for one of them to become president of the United States.
However, the family’s path to power was marked by tragedy from an early stage. In 1941, their daughter Rosemary underwent a lobotomy, a procedure that caused severe damage and affected the rest of her life.
In 1944, the eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., died during World War II. His plane exploded over England while he was carrying out a military mission. Four years later, in 1948, Kathleen Kennedy was killed in a plane crash in France.
Despite the losses, the family’s political ambition was fulfilled when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960. He became one of the most important figures in modern American history.
His term ended with his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963, during an official visit. The attack shocked America and the world.
The circumstances surrounding the assassination continue to be debated. The Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone. In 1979, however, a congressional committee determined that the assassination was likely carried out as part of a conspiracy, but it did not definitively establish who was responsible.
In 1968, five years after the president’s assassination, his brother Robert F. Kennedy was also killed in Los Angeles. He was 42 and had just won the presidential primary in California.
Another event linked to the legend of the “curse” occurred in 1969. A vehicle driven by Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. Mary Jo Kopechne, who was in the car, died.
Ted Kennedy survived, but he did not report the accident immediately. The incident severely damaged his political reputation and remained one of the most debated episodes of the senator’s life.
A few days after the accident, in a televised speech, Ted Kennedy asked whether his family was being haunted by a curse. The statement contributed to the widespread use of the phrase “Kennedy curse” in American culture.
The losses continued in the decades that followed. David Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy’s son, died of an overdose in 1984 at the age of 28. In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the assassinated president, was killed in a plane crash along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.
In 2012, Mary Richardson Kennedy, the former wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died at the age of 52. In 2019, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Robert Kennedy’s granddaughter, died of an overdose at the age of 22.
Another tragedy occurred in 2020, when Maeve Kennedy McKean, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and her eight-year-old son, Gideon, lost their lives. The canoe they were in was pushed by wind and currents into Chesapeake Bay.
The numerous losses have led many people to view the Kennedy family’s history as a repetition of bad luck. However, there is no evidence proving that such a curse is real.
Some biographers attribute the story to a combination of great ambition, constant public exposure, the risks of political and personal life, as well as wealth and fame. Family members have often been in the spotlight; some have taken part in dangerous activities, while others have faced serious personal and health problems.
Beyond the legend, the Kennedy family’s history shows that neither power nor privilege exempts people from tragedy. With Kyle Kennedy’s death, the list of losses suffered by one of the most famous families in American history has gained another name.
