The Kennedy family, America's most storied political dynasty, is once again grappling with profound loss. The recent death of Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy, has reignited public discussion about the series of tragedies that have beset the family for generations.
A Young Life Cut Short by Aggressive Cancer
Tatiana Schlossberg passed away on December 30, 2025, at the age of 35. A respected climate journalist, she had publicly shared her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia just a month prior in a poignant essay for The New Yorker titled 'A Battle With My Blood'.
In her writing, she expressed a heart-wrenching fear that her two young children, Edwin and Josephine, might not remember her. She was married to George Moran. Tatiana also wrote of her anguish at adding "a new tragedy" to her mother's life and to the complex history of the Kennedy family itself.
The Enduring Shadow of the 'Kennedy Curse'
The term 'Kennedy Curse' is often invoked to describe the alarming number of premature and violent deaths that have afflicted the family since the 1940s. The pattern began with Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest son, who was killed in 1944 when his military aircraft exploded during a covert World War II mission.
Further aviation tragedy struck in 1948 with the death of his sister, Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy. The most public shocks came in the 1960s: President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, the same year his infant son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, died days after birth. Five years later, his brother, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Los Angeles in 1968.
The misfortunes extended through the decades. In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy was involved in the Chappaquiddick incident, where a car he was driving went off a bridge, resulting in the death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli notes it was Ted Kennedy who, after this event, publicly wondered if a curse explained the family's suffering, cementing the phrase in popular culture.
A Catalogue of Untimely Losses
The list of tragedies is long and varied. David Anthony Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy's son, died from a drug overdose in 1984. Another of RFK's sons, Michael L. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident in 1997. In total, an estimated 15 untimely deaths are commonly linked to the family's tragic narrative, spanning assassinations, accidents, and illness.
The passing of Tatiana Schlossberg, a young mother and professional in her prime, is the latest chapter in this sorrowful history. While many family members have historically rejected the idea of a supernatural 'curse', the relentless pattern of loss has created a legacy of grief that continues to capture the world's attention with each new misfortune.
