John F. Kennedy Jr.’s Death and Romance With Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Still Fascinates 24 Years Later

Twenty-four years after the tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, the fascination with the enigmatic couple continues. What is it about the son of the late American President John F. Kennedy and his wife that continues to spark public interest in the celebrity couple over two decades after their deaths?

John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy died in a plane crash in 1999

Carolyn Bessette, 33, and her sister Lauren Bessette, 34, were passengers in a plane flown by John F. Kennedy Jr., 38, on July 16, 1999. The trio headed toward Martha’s Vineyard for the wedding of John’s cousin Rory Kennedy when his Piper Saratoga single-engine plane plunged into the Atlantic.

Pilot error caused their deaths. John was not qualified to fly with instruments and used visual cues to maneuver his plane. The evening was overcast and dark. John had trouble discerning the horizon, which he would have used to guide him as a visual pilot.

Untrained in instrument flying, worsening conditions made piloting the plane harder for John. The aircraft fell into a spiral, and being unable to tell if the plane was right side up or upside down caused Kennedy to nose dive directly into the water.

When the trio did not reach their destination, a search began. The bodies of John, Carolyn, and Lauren were recovered on July 21, 1999. All three remained buckled in their seatbelts. They died upon impact.

Why does the couple’s death still fascinate 24 years later?

The death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy remains fascinating to those interested in American popular culture due to the tragedy of their demise. For decades, the Kennedy family was as close to American royalty as one family could be, and many of their members met untimely and tragic deaths.

John’s father, John Kennedy, was assassinated while riding in a motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, in 1963. In 1969 John Sr.’s brother, Robert, was shot the night of his victory in the California primary in his quest to become President of the United States.

Other Kennedy family members, including David, Michael, Kara, Mary, Saoirse, and Maeve Kennedy, also died over 25 years in tragic circumstances. Therefore, rumors of a Kennedy curse began to circulate after so many members of the same family died tragically and relatively young.

John’s death was heartbreaking to many of his family’s admirers. They watched him grow up in the public eye. From a little boy playing under his father’s White House desk to saluting his casket at his funeral, the public watched John Jr.’s life with extreme fascination.

Photographers documented his life, including who he dated, the schools he attended, and his day-to-day existence in New York City. When he met Carolyn Bessette, it appeared John had finally found his life partner.

How did John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette meet?

John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette met in 1992 while she was working for designer Calvin Klein, and he was dating actor Daryl Hannah. “John loved Carolyn; he was enchanted with her — body and soul — from the first minute he met her,” said JFK Jr.’s friend Brian Steel to People Magazine. “But I think the fact that she had trouble coping with his fame definitely caused stress later on.”

In 1995, Carolyn moved into her John’s New York City apartment. He proposed at Martha’s Vineyard over the Fourth of July weekend later that year.

On Sept. 21, 1996, John and Carolyn tied the knot in a secret ceremony at a church on Cumberland Island, off the coast of Georgia. Carolyn wore a bias-cut crepe silk slip dress by Narciso Rodriguez with Manolo Blahnik heels.

The couple were married for just three years upon their deaths. John, Carolyn, and Lauren Bessette’s remains were cremated by their families and scattered off the back of a boat near Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

Elements of this story were first reported by The New York Times and People Magazine.