What Is the Kennedy Curse? How Tragedy and Conspiracy Theories Shaped a Family Legacy

Tragedy never seems to leave the Kennedy family. For generations, the family has experienced several sudden and suspicious deaths, which has led the media world to associate their name with the word "curse."

To start talking about the “Kennedy Curse," we must go back to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, the first generation of the family.

The couple had nine children, including Joe Jr., John (JFK), Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert (Bobby), Jean, and Edward (Ted). The family had dealt with many difficulties, as Rosemary Kennedy reportedly faced "intellectual challenges.”

When she was about 23, her father arranged for her to undergo a lobotomy to have a portion of her brain removed so her behavior could be changed. However, the surgery made her lose the ability to walk and talk. She lived her life as physically disabled until her death.

Tragedy struck the family again when Joe Jr. lost his life while flying a mission during World War II in 1944. Four years later, his sister, Kathleen, lost his life in another aviation-related incident. However, no deaths stirred the media like the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

He was assassinated during a rally in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. His younger brother, Bobby, was also killed on the campaign trail five years later.

The youngest of the children, Ted, who survived a deadly plane crash, was perhaps the first to talk about the curse.

CNN reports that while talking about the deadly incident that killed one passenger, Ted referenced “whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys.” The tragedies continued to lurk over the second and third generations of the family as well.

In 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy gave birth to Patrick, JFK’s third child. However, Patrick died as an infant two days after being born. He was born six weeks prematurely and had a lung condition.

Ted Kennedy’s son Edward Jr. also faced tragedy. He lost one of his legs to bone cancer at the age of 12. Another aviation-related death struck the family in 1999.

John F. Kennedy Jr. was piloting a plane when he became disoriented, resulting in a fatal crash. He died along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, who were the passengers.

As the family continues to grapple with tragedies and the aftermath of them, many cannot help but wonder whether the curse is real. However, family members seemingly do not like the theory. Both Edward Jr. and Patrick Kennedy spoke up against the idea.

"The Kennedy family has had to endure these things in a very open way. But our family is just like … every other family in America in many ways.”