Joan Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy’s ex-wife, dies

Ted and Joan Kennedy
Joan Kennedy FILE PHOTO: Ted Kennedy and wife Joan Kennedy circa 1971 in New York City. Joan Kennedy died on Oct. 8 at the age of 89. (Photo by Tom Wargacki/WireImage) (Tom Wargacki/WireImage)

BOSTON — The last member of the Kennedy family’s Camelot era has died.

Joan Bennett Kennedy was 89 years old.

A family spokesperson told WFXT that she died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday.

Joan Kennedy was married to Sen. Ted Kennedy for 24 years before the couple divorced.

They married in 1958 and she became the youngest wife of the youngest U.S. Senator elected when she was 25 in 1962.

Joan Kennedy, a model and classical pianist, frequently played the instrument while campaigning with the political powerhouse family, The Associated Press and WFXT reported.

She would start rallies with her piano playing, warming up the crowd.

She was also a trailblazer and was one of the first women in the U.S. to publicly face her struggles with alcohol and depression, speaking out about addiction in the 1970s.

“Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful example to millions of people with mental health conditions. She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives that she touched,” her son, Patrick Kennedy, said in a statement.

Joan and Ted Kennedy were married when he was involved in a scandal after the car he was driving went off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. A young woman in the car with him — Mary Joe Kopechne — died, but he was able to swim to safety. He waited hours before contacting police about the crash and eventually pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, the AP reported.

They stayed together for years despite the scandal but became estranged, which the AP said was evident during his failed campaign for president, running against then-sitting President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries. They had been separated by the campaign.

They had three children together but had several miscarriages over their relationship, including one shortly after the Chappaquiddick accident, the AP reported.

The couple divorced in 1982 and she moved from D.C. to Boston to get out of the spotlight and to complete a Master’s Degree in Musical Education from Lesley University, WFXT reported.

She eventually became a music teacher.

The senator died in 2009. Their daughter Kara died in 2011 after a heart attack. Ted Jr. is an attorney and a former member of the Connecticut state Senate. Patrick Kennedy was a congressman representing Rhode Island, serving 16 years and is now a mental health advocate, People magazine reported.

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