An aviation tragedy that marked the life of Carolyn Bessette, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., and her death became a myth in the nineties.
Tragedy marked July 16, 1999, forever. They were on their way to the wedding of Rory Kennedy, John's cousin when the plane went down in the Atlantic. "Our pain is indescribable," Senator Ted Kennedy explained in a statement. "John was a shining light in all of our lives and in the life of our country and the world, who first met him when he was a child."
Carolyn and Lauren Bessette's family also released a statement: "They were the embodiment of love, achievement, and a passion for life. John and Carolyn were soul mates. Together they will comfort Lauren." John and Carolyn were one of the iconic New York couples of the 1990s. With his death, they became a myth.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., known to all as "John-John," was born on November 25, 1960, a few weeks after his father was elected the thirty-fifth president of the United States. On his third birthday, "John-John" attended the funeral of his murdered father and was photographed saluting the coffin in an iconic image.
He grew up in Manhattan, along with his older sister, Caroline, with his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy. After graduating from Brown University, he attended the New York University School of Law. He worked as an assistant district attorney. In 1995 he founded the political magazine "George".
John was always in the media spotlight: he was handsome, suave, and successful, a worthy Kennedy heir. In 1988, "People" magazine named him the "Man Alive." Among his partners was actress Daryl Hannah, whom he dated for five years. On September 21, 1996, he married Carolyn Bessette, a fashion public relations officer, in a small Baptist church on Cumberland Island, Georgia, before just 40 guests.
The bride wore a design by her friend Narciso Rodriquez, in pearl white silk crepe, combined with long gloves and a silk veil, with an elegance and simplicity that have become fashion history. Then they established their residence in New York and it was not uncommon to see Kennedy skating to move from one place to another.
A dramatic ending in the Atlantic Ocean
Kennedy had just 300 hours of flying experience. On July 16, 1999, he took off in his single-engine Piper Saratoga from the airport in New Jersey, despite a foggy, moonless night. He had turned down an offer from one of his instructors to accompany him. His destination was Martha's Vineyard, 200 miles away, and the final part of the flight was over the ocean, dark and misty.
In these circumstances, an inexperienced pilot can lose sight of the horizon. It seems that's what happened to Kennedy. Unable to see the lights on the coast, because of the mist, he was dependent on the flight instruments, something he was not yet prepared for. It also seems that he was recovering from a broken ankle, which could have affected his driving.
From Martha's Vineyard, where he was to drop off his sister-in-law, Kennedy, and his wife were scheduled to fly to Hyannis Port on Cape Cod later. But the plane never made it to Martha's Vineyard. Radar picked it up as it plummeted 1,000 feet in 14 seconds, disappearing from the screen at 9:40 p.m. off the Massachusetts coast.
The Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Air Force organized an intensive search. After two days, they gave up hope of finding the passengers alive and focused their efforts on recovering the wreckage and the bodies. Kennedy was 38, Carolyn Bessette 33, and her sister Lauren 34. One more tragedy, of the many that had dogged the family, had ended the life of the Kennedys' brilliant "crown prince." Many considered it another proof of the "curse" of the Kennedys.
