My beloved aunt Joan Bennett Kennedy, former wife of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), classical pianist, music teacher, and advocate for mental health and addiction services, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Boston, Massachusetts yesterday at the age of 89.
She was my friend, confidante, and my partner in recovery. Joan inspired me with her courage and humility. She was one of the first prominent women in America to publicly acknowledge her struggles with alcoholism and depression, a move that she felt was essential to breaking the silence and tackling the taboo of addiction in the 1970s. Her honesty and candor, and her ability to successfully recreate her life in Boston, a community that supported her privacy and embraced her recovery, made her an inspiration to countless other women facing similar challenges. She encouraged many family members in early sobriety. At age 25, in 1962, Joan was the youngest wife of a U.S. Senator in United States history. She was a kind and generous aunt to me and my 27 cousins. She was the last survivor of an extraordinary generation of Kennedys. We all feel grateful for the time God gave us with her.
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