10/08/2025

Joan Kennedy, First Wife of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Dies at Age 89

She married into the powerful Kennedy dynasty at the height of its influence

Joan Bennett Kennedy, the first wife of U.S. Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, the mother of a congressman and the sister-in-law of slain President John F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 89, according to a social media post from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

A daughter of privilege who could trace her lineage back to one of the victims of the Salem witch trials, the then-Joan Bennett's marriage to the aforementioned Kennedy tied her to an American political dynasty and tumultuous personal life marred by bouts of alcoholism.

She died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Boston, according to her nephew's social media post.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Reuters.