NEED TO KNOW
Joan Kennedy made her final appearance at the Kennedy family’s annual Fourth of July celebration
The first wife of Ted Kennedy was pictured among a sea of family members three months before her death
Joan died peacefully in her sleep at her Boston home on Oct. 8, according to her obituary
Three months before her death, Joan Kennedy made her last public appearance at the annual Kennedy Fourth of July gathering.
Joan, the first wife of Sen. Ted Kennedy, died peacefully in her sleep at her Boston home on Wednesday, Oct. 8, according to an obituary published by local outlet GoLocalProv. She was 89.
Over the summer, she made what would become her final family appearance on Friday, July 4 at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass.
In a clip of the whole Kennedy family gathered by the water, shared to Instagram by Kerry Kennedy, Joan was seen sitting at the front, among a sea of family members, wearing a neon pink top and black sunglasses.
“Happy birthday Chris, Kathleen and America!” Kerry captioned the video. Kathleen and Chris Kennedy — 72 and 62, respectively — both celebrated birthdays on the holiday.
Kerry Kennedy/Instagram
The Kennedy family at Hyannis Port, Mass. on July 4, 2025
A classical pianist attending Manhattanville College, Joan met Ted in 1957 when his sister, Jean Kennedy, also a student at the college, introduced them.
Joan and Ted were engaged within a year of meeting, and though each had concerns about getting married, the family’s patriarch, Joe Kennedy, urged them to follow through with it. The pair wed in 1958 when Joan was 22.
The couple welcomed three children together: Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.
Tom Wargacki/WireImage From Left: Joan and Ted Kennedy in New York City circa 1971
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Joan and Ted’s marriage endured through many hardships before they eventually divorced in 1983.
In 1969, Ted was driving his car across a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Mass., resulting in the death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Shortly afterwards, Ted pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. Ted brought further scandal to their marriage as reports of his heavy drinking and extramarital affairs were made public.
For more on Joan Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick incident, listen below to PEOPLE’s “Cover-Up” podcast.
The pair separated in 1978, announced their decision to divorce in 1981 and finalized the divorce in 1983.
Read the original article on People
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com ’
