Joan Kennedy Dead At 89

Joan Kennedy, first wife of the late Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy and the last link to the “Camelot” period of the Kennedy family, died at the age of 89.

An obituary shared on GoLocalProv noted that Kennedy passed away Oct. 8 “peacefully in her sleep at her home in Boston, Massachusetts.” Steve Kerrigan of the Massachusetts Democratic Party issued the announcement.

A talented classical pianist with a master’s degree in education, Joan never remarried after her 1983 divorce from Ted Kennedy. In recent years, she maintained a relatively low public profile.

Born in 1936, Joan met Ted in 1957 through his sister, Jean Kennedy, while both women attended Manhattanville College, according to People. Within a year, the couple became engaged — reportedly at the insistence of Kennedy patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. — and married on Nov. 29, 1958, in Bronxville, New York, where Joan was raised.

Their 22-year marriage produced three children — Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick — and endured the turbulence of political life and personal tragedy.

Joan Bennett Kennedy, the first wife of US Senator Ted Kennedy, attends the dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Massachusetts, March 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

In July 1969, Ted’s car plunged off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, leading to passenger Mary Jo Kopechne’s death. Joan stood by her husband’s side at Kopechne’s funeral and again days after when he pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. The incident marked a devastating chapter for both their marriage and public image.

In the years that followed, Joan faced further humiliation as reports of Ted’s infidelities and heavy drinking made national headlines. Quiet and reserved, she often seemed out of step with the boisterous Kennedy clan.

Though their marriage ended in the early 1980s, Joan Kennedy remained linked to one of America’s most storied political families — a poised, graceful figure who endured both privilege and pain in equal measure.

HYANNIS, MA – AUGUST 14: Victoria Reggie Kennedy (C) and Joan Kennedy (R) walk in the funeral procession of Eunice Kennedy Shriver to St. Francis Xavier Church August 14, 2009 in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Shriver, the fifth of nine children to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Kennedy, and the founder of the Special Olympics, died Tuesday after a series of strokes. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

“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,” Ted Kennedy Jr. said, according to GoLocalProv.

“Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful 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,” Patrick Kennedy said.(RELATED: Jane Goodall Dies At 91)

Funeral information will be announced on the relevant funeral home’s website.