Joan Kennedy, First Wife of Ted Kennedy and the Last Survivor of Camelot, Dies at 89

Joan Bennett Kennedy, nan first woman of Sen. Ted Kennedy, died early successful nan greeting connected Oct. 8, PEOPLE confirms. She was 89 years old.

GoLocalProv published an obituary announcing nan news, revealing that she died peacefully successful her slumber astatine her Boston home.

Joan, a talented classical pianist pinch a master's grade successful education, divided Ted successful 1983, but continued to beryllium known arsenic nan long-suffering woman of nan youngest Kennedy boy to whom she was joined for 22 years.

Joan was calved successful New York City connected Sept. 2, 1936, and raised successful nan suburbs by a Roman Catholic family.

She met Ted successful 1957, erstwhile his older sister Jean Kennedy introduced them. Both Jean and Joan were students astatine Manhattanville College.

Within nan year, nan 2 became engaged. Although some Joan and Ted expressed reservations astir getting married, Ted's father, nan powerful patriarch Joe Kennedy, insisted they spell done pinch it.

They wed connected Nov. 29, 1958, successful Bronxville, N.Y., nan mini suburb wherever Joan grew up. Joan was 22 years old.

Together, they had 3 children, Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.

Kara, who was diagnosed pinch lung crab successful 2002, died from a bosom onslaught successful 2011. Ted Jr., an lawyer and erstwhile personnel of nan Connecticut authorities Senate, developed bony crab astatine property 12 and had portion of his correct limb removed. Patrick served arsenic a Rhode Island congressman for 16 years and is a intelligence wellness advocate.

The matrimony betwixt Joan and Ted Kennedy was 1 of galore struggles.

In July 1969, Ted's car went disconnected nan span astatine Chappaquiddick, sidesplitting his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped successful nan car. Joan attended Kopechne's ceremonial alongside Ted. Three days later, she was again astatine his broadside erstwhile he pled blameworthy to leaving nan segment of an accident.

She suffered overmuch humiliation successful nan years that followed, arsenic stories of Ted's extramarital affairs and his dense drinking made headlines.

Quiet and reserved, Joan didn't ever fresh successful pinch nan rambunctious style of nan Kennedy family and erstwhile told PEOPLE really Jackie Kennedy had advised her to activity solace successful her piano, nan measurement she did pinch painting.

She later admitted that she began drinking heavy to get done nan galore misfortunes and challenges successful her life. "At times I drank to consciousness little inhibited, to relax astatine parties," she told PEOPLE successful 1978. "Other times I drank to artifact retired unhappiness, to drown my sorrows."

Joan embraced nan 12 measurement programme of Alcoholics Anonymous and was candid astir her struggles. "Staying sober is difficult," Joan told PEOPLE successful 1979 while sipping a fare ginger ale. "But I'm sober today, and that's each that matters. I'm moving connected my betterment a time astatine a time."

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She and Ted separated successful 1978 but they did not divorcement until aft his grounded 1980 statesmanlike campaign. They announced plans to divorce successful 1981 and nan determination was finalized successful 1983. She ne'er remarried.

In later years, her struggle to enactment sober often made headlines and included highly publicized drunk driving incidents. After being appointed a guardian erstwhile her alcoholism came to a caput successful nan early 2000s, Joan lived a quiet life successful Boston and stayed comparatively retired of nan nationalist eye.