What Really Happened???

All this Ted Kennedy talk here in MA got me to thinking about another Kennedy, lost too young.
John F. Kennedy Jr and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy died in a plane over Marthas Vineyard on July 16th 1999. Also lost in the tragedy was Carolyn's sister, Lauren Bessette. Three beautiful, young people, the possible victims of a supposed "Kennedy Curse".

Let's talk for a minute about John Jr. Beside the fact that he was probably one of the most magnificent looking human specimens of all time, he was a Kennedy and the heir of our beloved president John F. Kennedy and the first lady Jaqueline Kennedy. There's just no accounting for good genes. Although John Jr had some "Kennedy troubles" (read drugs and alcohol) throughout his young life, he managed to somehow clean up his act and begin to steer his way into a world of possibilities that was open to him. I mean, LOOK AT HIM. Not only was he the surviving male heir to Jack and Jackie; the boy had it all. He could afford to be a screw up because if he kept himself somewhat clean, he could pretty much have anything he wanted. He was our royalty. He started a political magazine, which was chic and interesting, named it after our country's first president and shocked the word when he secretly married a beauty he met in Manhattan named Carolyn. It would seem 38 year old John was just coming into his own.

What of this mysterious beauty named Carolyn Bessette Kennedy? She was an enigma of epic proportions. You can't believe everything you read, but when more than 3 writers report similar stories about her, one has to wonder the odds on it being a truth. I have read a few books written on John Jr., most of which talk in length about the volatile status of his marriage. They all agree that John was absolutely besotted with her. She had a hold over him and was not without demons herself. Reportedly she was antisocial, prone to violence and their fights were at times vicious. There are those who say that Carolyn was a frequent cocaine user and that she spent late nights out with her "fashionista friends" doing cocaine. The general consensus is that thing were not moonlight and roses in the marriage.

It has been reported that John had spent the night before they died in a hotel after a fight with his wife. That they were late getting off the island because Carolyn's sister had to work late and she herself, was getting a manicure. John was an inexperienced pilot who happened to be wearing a cast on his leg so the decision to fly that night was most questionable. So I ask you, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED??? I wonder.



In Part Two tomorrow I will explore the personal lives of this mysterious couple