Joan Kennedy, Ex-Wife of Late Senator Ted Kennedy, Dies at 89

The first wife of the late senator and the last remaining person to have lived during the John F. Kennedy administration has passed away.

On the early morning of October 8, 2025, Joan Bennett Kennedy, who was married to Ted Kennedy, died in Boston, Massachusetts. She was 89 years old. The news was confirmed by People after GoLocalProv published an obituary.

According to the announcement, Joan passed in her sleep at home. Aside from being married to the senator for 24 years between 1958 and 1983, she was a classical pianist and got her master's degree in musical education from Lesley University.

She used her piano skills throughout her husband's campaign. She also became a teacher and an advocate for art education in schools. Her book "The Joy of Classical Music" was meant to make the genre more accessible to everyday people.

Ted Jr. also suffered from cancer at the age of 12 and had his right leg amputated, but he lived to become an attorney and was part of the Connecticut state Senate. Meanwhile, Patrick was a congressman in Rhode Island for more than a decade.