New Disney+ Series Examines the Kennedy 'Curse' Through a Tragic Love Story
A compelling new nine-part drama series, titled Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, is set to premiere on Disney Plus from February 13. This series, part of Ryan Murphy's 'Love Story' anthology, explores one of the most heart-wrenching real-life incidents that has fueled longstanding speculation about a so-called 'Kennedy curse'. Based on Elizabeth Beller's book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the show promises to chart the complex and heartbreaking journey of a couple whose private romance became a national obsession, ending in ultimate tragedy.
What Is the Kennedy Curse?
The concept of the Kennedy curse refers to a series of tragic and premature deaths that have plagued the Kennedy family over decades. According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of The Kennedy Heirs, it was Ted Kennedy who first publicly alluded to this idea after the Chappaquiddick incident in 1969. During a national address, Ted Kennedy pondered whether "some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys," following the drowning of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne in a car accident he survived.
This notion has since become a widely referenced explanation for the numerous misfortunes befalling the family, with at least 15 deaths attributed to the curse between 1944 and 2025. Many of these incidents involved high-profile figures and occurred at young ages, adding to the perception of a familial hex.
Key Tragedies Linked to the Curse
The string of tragedies began in 1944 with the death of Joseph Kennedy Jr., John F. Kennedy's brother, when his military aircraft exploded over England. This was followed by a series of untimely deaths, including:
- Kathleen Kennedy's husband being shot by a German sniper in 1944.
- Kathleen Kennedy herself dying in a plane crash in France at age 28 in 1948.
- Two Kennedy children dying at birth in the 1950s and 1960s.
Two of the most infamous incidents occurred in the 1960s: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, and the assassination of his brother Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 while he was a presidential candidate. These events left indelible marks on American history and reinforced the curse narrative.
Further tragedies include an unsolved murder, a drug overdose, and a skiing accident between 1974 and 1997. In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette died in a plane crash off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, a tragedy often cited as the second most well-known incident linked to the curse.
Lesser-Known Aspects and Recent Events
Beyond the high-profile deaths, the curse narrative also encompasses lesser-known family hardships. For instance, Rosemary Kennedy, JFK's sister, was left disabled after a botched frontal lobotomy arranged by her father in the 1940s, leading to her institutionalization until her death in 2005.
More recently, the death of Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of John F. Kennedy, in 2025 from complications of acute myeloid leukemia at age 35, brought the curse back into public discourse. Before her passing, she wrote poignantly about her illness, adding to the family's legacy of tragedy.
The new Disney+ series not only revisits these historical events but also highlights how the Kennedy curse continues to captivate public imagination. With episodes streaming from February 13, viewers can delve into this tragic saga, reflecting on the enduring impact of these misfortunes on one of America's most prominent families.
