Joan Kennedy, the late Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy’s former wife and long-time mental health and addiction recovery advocate, died Wednesday at the age of 89.
Her son, Patrick Kennedy, and his wife, Amy, verified her death, recalling her as a woman of grace, grit, and activism.
In a moving statement, Amy and Patrick Kennedy said, “Mrs. Kennedy was a classically trained pianist, a mental health and addiction recovery advocate, and a unassuming trailblazer in speaking publicly about struggles with alcoholism and depression during an era when few others would. Her honesty and bravery broke silence and encouraged others to seek help and healing.”. Her contributions to the arts, mental health awareness, her home Boston community, and the country will be felt by many.
Born Virginia Joan Bennett, she was a public figure once she married Ted Kennedy in 1958. Their 22-year marriage was publicized with its own set of problems and political controversy. Joan and Ted had three children, Kara, Edward Jr., and Patrick. Through some of the most turbulent times in his career, including the notorious 1969 Chappaquiddick episode, she stood by him during personal troubles.
That year, Senator Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, resulting in the tragic death of 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy managed to swim to safety but waited several hours before notifying authorities. The scandal cast a long shadow over his political ambitions, and Joan’s quiet endurance during the ordeal became a defining moment of her public life.
Throughout Ted Kennedy’s subsequent political career, their marriage continued to suffer. By the time he ran his ill-fated 1980 Democratic bid for the presidency against Jimmy Carter, the couple had lived apart. They were divorced in 1983. One campaign bumper sticker of the time notoriously quoted, “Vote for Jimmy Carter, Free Joan Kennedy,” illustrating how public the fissures in their marriage had become.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Joan’s nephew, made a heartfelt tribute to his aunt on X (formerly Twitter), referring to her as a “friend, confidante, and partner in recovery.” He commended her as one of the first well-known women in America to speak out about her battles with alcoholism and depression, breaking grounds during a time when the issues were taboo.
My dear Aunt Joan Bennett Kennedy, ex-wife of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, classical pianist, music instructor, and mental health and addiction services advocate, died peacefully in her sleep at her Boston, Massachusetts home yesterday at age 89,” Robert said. “She was an inspiration to me through her bravery and humility.”. She was among the first high-profile women in America to openly admit her alcoholism and depression, a step that she believed was necessary for shattering the silence and confronting the stigma of addiction in the 1970s.
Robert went on, “Her honesty and capacity to recreate her life in Boston, a community that respected her privacy and welcomed her recovery, made her an inspiration to thousands of women with similar challenges. She inspired many family members who were new to sobriety. She was compassionate and generous, the final survivor of a remarkable generation of Kennedys. We are all thankful for the time God gave us with her.
At a mere 25, Joan was the youngest senator’s wife in America when Ted won the election in 1962. Although she faded from public view in later life, she never lost her focus on her love of music or on addiction recovery and mental health issues, causes that shaped her legacy.
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