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<\/p>\nJoan Bennett Kennedy, the elegant and resilient first wife of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, has passed away peacefully in her sleep at her Boston home. She was 89.<\/p>\n
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Behind the polished family portraits and public smiles, Joan\u2019s life reflected both privilege and profound struggle. A classically trained pianist with a master\u2019s degree in education, she once shared that music became her refuge \u2014 advice she credited to Jackie Kennedy, who told her to \u201cturn to the piano\u201d whenever the pressures of life within the Kennedy dynasty felt unbearable.<\/p>\n
Born in New York City on September 2, 1936, Joan grew up in a devout Catholic family. She met Ted Kennedy in 1957 through his sister Jean while attending Manhattanville College, and the couple married a year later.<\/p>\n
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Thrust into the spotlight as the youngest wife of the youngest U.S. Senator in history, Joan entered the heart of \u201cCamelot,\u201d where Ted was once seen as a future president.Together, they had three children: Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick. But beneath the image of political glamour, tragedy and turbulence shadowed their marriage. Ted\u2019s 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal, which left campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne dead, altered their lives forever. Joan stood publicly by her husband through the ordeal, but privately, it took an enormous emotional toll.Over the years, Joan faced a long battle with alcoholism. She was candid about her struggles, entering several rehabilitation programs and confronting her addiction openly.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt times I drank to block out unhappiness,\u201d she said in a 1978 interview, later adding with quiet resolve, \u201cI\u2019m sober today, and that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d At one point, her three children were legally appointed as her guardians to ensure she received proper treatment.<\/p>\n
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Joan Bennett Kennedy, the elegant and resilient first wife of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, has passed away peacefully in her sleep at her Boston home. She… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":false,"total_views":0,"today_views":0},"yoast_head":"\n