Joan Bennett Kennedy, the former wife of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, and a classically trained pianist who became one of the first prominent American women to speak publicly about addiction and mental health, died Wednesday at her home in Boston. She was 89.
Kennedy, born Virginia Joan Bennett, died peacefully in her sleep, according to her family. The former model, musician, and advocate for arts education was remembered as a woman of grace and quiet strength, whose life was marked by both triumph and tragedy within one of America’s most storied families.
“I will always admire my mother for the way that she faced up to her challenges with grace, courage, humility, and honesty. She taught me how to be more truthful with myself and how careful listening is a more powerful communication skill than public speaking,” said Ted Kennedy, Jr.
Her younger son, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), said, “Besides being a loving mother, amazing musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a power of example to millions of people with mental health conditions. She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives that she touched.”
Born on Sept. 2, 1936, in New York City, Joan Bennett was raised in Bronxville, New York. She was the daughter of an advertising executive and a homemaker. While studying at Manhattanville College, she modeled in live television advertisements for major brands including Revlon, Maxwell House coffee, and Coca-Cola. She met Ted Kennedy, the youngest brother in the politically ascendant Kennedy family, at her college.
The two married in 1958, and soon Joan Kennedy became part of America’s political and cultural story. At 25, she was the youngest wife of the youngest U.S. senator ever elected. As the Kennedy family's influence grew, she supported them by campaigning in coal towns, small churches, and crowded auditoriums, often starting rallies with her piano performances.
Her ability to remain graceful under public pressure earned her admiration, even as her private life became more difficult. The assassinations of her brothers-in-law, former President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), and her husband’s 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal, deeply affected her marriage. After 24 years together and several years of separation, she divorced Ted Kennedy in 1982.
In the years that followed, Joan Kennedy rebuilt her life. She earned a master’s degree in musical education from Lesley University, taught music in Boston, and became an advocate for equal access to arts education. Her 1992 book, “The Joy of Classical Music,” introduced new audiences to the genre she loved. “ Her belief in the transformational power of music guided her activism in the cause of equitable access to arts education in public schools,” states her obituary.
Kennedy’s musical career continued into her later years. She performed with orchestras worldwide, including the Boston Symphony, and worked closely with the Boston Pops and the Boston Council for the Arts and Humanities. Her favorite composers included Chopin, Mozart, and Debussy, according to her obituary.
“Joan was an accomplished pianist and possessed an impressive knowledge of the classical music repertoire. Her dedication to the Boston Pops Orchestra, and especially to the young people of Boston, will have a lasting impact. She will be greatly missed and will always be regarded as a member of our Boston Symphony Family,” said John Williams, Conductor Laureate of the Boston Pops.
Kennedy also became a pioneer in the public discussion of addiction and recovery, speaking candidly about her struggles with alcoholism and depression at a time when few public figures did.
"Her life was challenging, but she persevered. As a young girl, I marveled at her grace, her beauty, her elegance. As a woman, I respected her grit, her resilience, her perseverance. May her journey be peaceful, and may her children and grandchildren know they did a great job caring for her, respecting her privacy, and loving her. Sending love to all of them," Shriver wrote.
She is survived by her sons Ted Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy, nine grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and her sister, Candace McMurrey. Her daughter, Kara Kennedy Allen, died in 2011.