Who is Patrick Kennedy? Joan Kennedy’s son ended his 2006 Senate campaign After her collapse in Boston

Joan Kennedy, the first wife of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy, has passed away at the age of 89. She died in her sleep at her Boston residence on October 8, confirmed by People Magazine.

Patrick Kennedy, the youngest son of Ted and Joan Kennedy, shared his thoughts on his mother’s passing in a statement to ABC 6. He said:

“Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful example to millions of people with mental health conditions. She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives she touched.”

Joan Kennedy, who separated from Ted Kennedy in the 1970s, had a widely publicized struggle with alcoholism. Her struggles began after three miscarriages and the cancer diagnosis of her then 12-year-old son, Ted Jr., who had to have one of his legs amputated. In a 1978 interview with People Magazine, Joan said:

“I didn’t know why I was drinking too much. At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties. Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrows.”

She initially became sober after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. However, her challenges with alcoholism resurfaced publicly, including multiple arrests for driving under the influence, according to Reuters.

In 2005, at the age of 68, Joan was found unconscious on Beacon Street in Boston during a rainstorm. She was taken to the hospital with a broken shoulder and a concussion, reported the Tampa Bay Times.

At that time, her son Patrick Kennedy, then a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island’s First Congressional District, was considering a run for the Senate against Republican Lincoln Chafee. Following the incident, Patrick announced he would not pursue a Senate run, stating, according to CBS News:

“I would … like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for my mother. My family means everything to me, and I would appreciate you respecting my family’s privacy at this time.”

The Tampa Bay Times noted that Patrick’s Chief of Staff, Sean Richardson, clarified that the Representative’s decision to step back from a Senate campaign was not influenced by Joan’s condition.

Just a year before the incident, Ted Jr. and Patrick had been appointed as Joan’s guardians. After she was found on the street, Joan entered rehabilitation in 2005, as reported by ABC News.

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