The JFK Jr. Nobody Knew: Inside the Secret Life of an American Prince — 25 Years After His Death
"He had a death wish — not only for himself, but the women in his life. He had more near-misses in his teens and twenties than the public knew," Callahan writes.
June 8 2024, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Almost 25-years after John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren Bessette died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, the world remains fascinated by the doomed tale of the political prince.
In the decades since the tragedy, heartbreaking details of the love and loss have emerged about the dashing son of late President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Now, Sources close to the heir of the political dynasty reveal secrets of JFK Jr.'s all too short life, RadarOnline.com has learned.
JFK Jr.'s friend revealed 'he didn't buy into things like the Kennedy curse.'
"I don't believe John ever fathomed that he would die at 38," friend Lisa DePaulo said, according to Star. "He didn't buy into things like the Kennedy curse."
Despite the trauma that plagued his family, JFK Jr. enjoyed a charmed if complicated life. A source noted, "Jackie was fiercely protective of her children and was determined to give John and his sister as normal a life as possible."
Jackie reportedly filled out John's college application and pushed for him to go to law school.
The insider continued, "After JFK's assassination, she did everything she could to shield them from the spotlight," including moving them from the fishbowl of Washington to New York City, "where she felt they could have a more anonymous life."
John moved to Rhode Island for college. "Jackie pushed hard for John to go to Brown and even filled out his application for him because he was away in Africa," the source recalled, noting, "John had a passion for world issues and civil rights, just like his father."
John was an outgoing student with a curious mind, "but when it came to his studies, he lacked discipline."
"At one point, he ended up on academic probation," added the source, who said though John went on to attend law school at NYU, "for him, college was more about having fun and exploring than it was about getting perfect marks."
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Author Elizabeth Beller said John's 'biggest regret' was not introducing Carolyn to his mother before her death.
After moving back to NYC, John became a tabloid fixture, making headlines when he finally passed the bar exam on the third try.
"It made a rough situation that much worse," recalled the source. "The frenzy around his love life was unbearable at times."
John was linked to a slew of famous women, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Daryl Hannah, Brooke Shields, Cindy Crawford and Madonna, who sources claimed left him racy voice messages.
But the love of John's life was Carolyn, the former Calvin Klein publicist he dated on and off until they wed in 1996. John reportedly never forgave himself for failing to introduce her to his mother before her death.
"Jackie was quite sick [with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma] and it wasn't a moment to [meet] a new girlfriend," explained author Elizabeth Beller. "But he told many friends... one of his biggest regrets in life was not introducing them, because that... hurt Carolyn."
"Was JFK Jr. flirting with murder-suicide that night?" Callahan asks.
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Though Carolyn was John's great love, their marriage was struggling before the fateful plane ride.
"They were going through a rough patch," the source said. "They were at odds over having children — he was ready to start a family and she wasn't sure she wanted to bring kids into their world."
According to John's friend Steven M. Gillon, he "struggled his entire life to have an identity that was separate from his family. He always said, 'I don't want to do what people expect me to do. I want to do something different.'"
But the historian and friend claimed John had dreams of eventually making it to the White House like his father. "I think about it often, how much better off our country would have been had John not made the foolish decision to take his plane up on the hot humid July evening."
"The one thing John will always share with his father is this sense of what might have been."
