Joan Bennett Kennedy Dead at 89: Ted Kennedy’s Ex-Wife Dies Peacefully at Boston Home... After Facing Years of Heartache Over Family’s Scandals, Affairs and Divorce
Late Sen. Ted Kennedy's first wife Joan Bennett Kennedy has died at age 89.
Oct. 8 2025, Published 11:41 a.m. ET
Late Senator Ted Kennedy's first wife, Joan Bennett Kennedy, has died at the age of 89, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to an online obituary, Steve Kerrigan, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, confirmed Joan "passed away peacefully in her sleep" at her Boston home on October 8.
Joan and Ted divorced in 1983 after 25 years of marriage.
Joan, a native New Yorker raised in a Roman Catholic family, attended Manhattanville College with Ted's sister Jean, who introduced the pair in 1957.
While Joan and Ted quickly hit it off, they both reportedly expressed apprehension toward diving into marriage, but were ultimately engaged within a year after the future senator's ruthless father Joe insisted on the union.
They tied the knot in 1958 and welcomed three children together – Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.
Following years of scandal and heartbreak, Joan and Ted separated in 1978 but did not officially divorce until 1983.
The Chappaquiddick Incident
Joan and Ted shared three children, Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.
In July 1969, Ted was involved in a fatal car accident when he drove his vehicle off a narrow bridge in Chappaquiddick Island and into Poucha Pond after leaving a party with passenger Mary Jo Kopechne, who he claimed he was dropping off at the ferry.
While Ted managed to free himself and swim to safety, Kopechne was trapped in the car and died, though the prominent lawmaker insisted he attempted to rescue her.
Despite the embarrassing optics of the tragic incident, Joan, who was pregnant after suffering two miscarriages, stood by her husband's side when they attended Kopechne's funeral – and again three days later when he pled guilty to fleeing the scene of an accident.
Joan's Battle with Alcoholism
Nearly 10 years after the Chappaquiddick incident, Joan confessed she 'drank to block out unhappiness.'
Following the Chappaquiddick incident, Joan's drinking spiraled out of control as she faced relentless torment of Ted's affairs and alcohol abuse making headlines.
Joan confessed in 1978 she began drinking heavily to numb the pain of public scandals, saying: "At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties. Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrows."
She participated in the twelve steps program, though she candidly admitted: "Staying sober is difficult."
Her battle with sobriety was a rollercoaster. She was arrested four times for driving under the influence, the first incident taking place in 1974 and final in 2000, which prompted her to appoint a guardian and retreat from public life.
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Joan endured the stress and pain of watching two of her three children battle cancer.
In addition to the pain she experienced during her marriage, Joan suffered further heartbreak when two of her three children were diagnosed with cancer.
Ted Jr. was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1973, shortly before his 12th birthday. Following grueling, unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy, doctors amputated his right leg and saved his life.
Her eldest child and only daughter, Kara, was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 42 in 2002. While doctors initially believed her condition was inoperable, her family's influence and connections led her to a surgeon at Brigham and Woman's Hospital, who agreed to perform a risky surgery in which a portion of her lung was removed.
Although the surgery was success, Kara died at age 51 of a heart attack in 2011, two years after Ted passed in 2009 following a battle with brain cancer.
