JFK Jr. Was So in Love with Wife Who Had Doubts over Fatal Flight Crash Was Not an Acci
J.F. Kennedy Jr. with his wife Carolyn Bessette | An airplane | Source: | Getty Images | Freepik.com/Racool_studio
After a string of romantic interludes, John F. Kennedy Jr. had finally found his match in Carolyn Bessette. Three years after they wed, they left home for a cousin's wedding in the same place Kennedy proposed to Bessette. Unfortunately, a sentimental and celebratory occasion ended up being their tragic end. Decades later, the cause of their death is still being debated and investigated.
John F. Kennedy Jr. was the only son of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. He was the world's most eligible bachelor with a bright future ahead. On the other hand, Carolyn Bessette, a chic Calvin Klein fashion publicist, was so beautiful that, according to a friend, no photograph ever did her justice.
The pair's paths first crossed in 1994 at a Calvin Klein showroom. Kennedy was smitten instantaneously, captivated by the beauty from the very start. Shortly after meeting her, he felt he had finally met his match.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy posing for a portrait on August 25, 1992 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Kennedy reportedly told a friend that he knew she was the one the moment he saw her. However, the ensuing weeks were filled with uncertainty and frustrations over the woman he had fallen for as Bessette turned down any advances or requests to go out on a date with him.
Attorney Brian Steel, who had known Kennedy from way back, said he would get frustrated when Bessette would not call him back. Gustavo Peredes, a childhood friend of Kennedy's, seconded the sentiments, telling People in 2014:
"He couldn't believe she turned him down. It had never happened before."
John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy at the annual John F. Kennedy Library Foundation dinner on Sunday, May 23, 1999 | Source: Getty Images
Those who knew Bessette said she looked like the kind of girl who would date Kennedy. She was gorgeous and never tried too hard to make an impression. Initially, she tried playing it cool and turned down Kennedy because she did not think he was serious.
Being turned down did not discourage Kennedy, who kept figuring out a way to be close to her. Paredes said Kennedy, who had just launched his political and pop culture magazine, George, kept returning to the showroom for businesses and fitting, but with a hidden agenda — to see Bessette.
Before meeting Bessette, Kennedy never lacked female company. He had numerous romantic rendezvous with Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Daryl Hannah, but given his place in the world, he always knew he would one day want to settle down.
John F. Kennedy Jr. in New York on May 5, 1989 | Source: Getty Images
Eventually, Bessette accepted his advances, and the pair started a whirlwind romance. On July 1995, during a weekend on Martha's Vineyard, he popped the question while fishing on a boat off the island's coast.
He asked Bessette to be his partner, but the beauty rejected his proposal. A friend of Bessette said she waited three weeks to accept his proposal, which made Kennedy all the more intent on marrying her.
She eventually accepted, and their fairytale romance culminated in the two walking down the aisle in a secret ceremony on September 21, 1996, on Cumberland Island in Georgia.
Outside of the tiny First African Baptist Church where John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette held their secret wedding on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia in September 1996 | Source: Getty Images
The ceremony was held inside the First African Baptist Church, a humble venue with eight wooden pews and no air conditioning. The idea was to put off the persistent press.
One trusted photographer in attendance said the sight of the newlyweds leaving the church after exchanging vows was incredibly magical. Despite being top secret, their wedding was one of the most famous of its time.
Inside the First African Baptist Church where John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette held their secret wedding on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia in September 1996 | Source: Getty Images
Theirs was an enviable union, and they loved each other intensely. Soon after exchanging vows, the pair settled into marital bliss.
Kennedy and Bessette Loved and Fought in Equal Measure
That Kennedy and Bessette loved each other was without an ounce of doubt. Their relationship was intense from the start, and Kennedy wanted his wife to get to know him as her husband and more than just the president's son.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn walking with their dog on January 1, 1997 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
They had their highs, and a friend remembers walking in on Kennedy, laying with his head in Bessette's lap as she tenderly stroked his hair. According to the friend, the pair looked incredibly peaceful together.
Bessette also made an impression on everyone she met. Kennedy's former executive assistant remembers her as being warm and funny. At the same time, Carole Radziwill, widow of Kennedy's cousin, Anthony Radziwill, said she was a clever and lovable person who could masterfully balance being serious and funny.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn in New York City, October 1996 | Source: Getty Images
And while everybody really loved her, the love she and her husband shared also became noticeable to many others. It is no wonder Kennedy's cousin, Rory Kennedy, said:
"John was so in love with her."
However, they also had their lows. According to celebrity biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, Kennedy and Bassette loved just as hard as they fought. While their fairy tale wedding may have painted the perfect picture of the lovebirds, they had their struggles just like any other married couple.
Daily News front page on Monday, October 7, 1996 featuring Kennedy's plea to the paparazzi to give his wife space | Source: Getty Images
Born into a prominent family, Kennedy was accustomed to being in the limelight. However, Bessette struggled with being in the spotlight and had a rough time dealing with what she felt was the paparazzi hunting her. She also had trouble fitting in with her husband's powerful family.
Despite their marital challenges, Kennedy was not one to sit and do nothing. He was always willing to do what was right by and for his wife and did not want to be one of those Kennedy men who did not care about their wives' feelings.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette at a function at the Hilton Hotel in 1996 | Source: Getty Images
Taraborrelli said by 1998, Bessette reconnected with an old friend she would confide in. She went to his apartment to talk, but they ended up kissing. However, Bessette stopped it in time, and feeling guilty; she told her husband about it.
Kennedy was said to have gone to Bessette's friend's apartment and identified as the police so he could open up, and when he did, Kennedy swung a blow at him, telling him to stay away from his wife. It was one of the many times Kennedy protected his wife.
Despite their marital trouble, the two were keen on making their marriage work, and in April 1998, they joined couples counseling.
Newlyweds John F. Kennedy Jr. and wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy kissing as they walked along Varick Street in Manhattan in 1996 | Source: Getty Images
In 1999, the pair packed up some bags and set out to attend the wedding of Kennedy's cousin, Rory Kennedy, at Martha's Vineyard. It was an exciting time for them as they would be celebrating a union in the same place Kennedy had proposed to Bessette.
Sadly, a time that was supposed to be filled with joy and celebration turned tragic after the plane carrying the couple and Bessette's older sister, Lauren, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
Bessette Was Terrified of Flying With Kennedy
In the weeks leading to Rory's July wedding, Bessette openly expressed her uncertainty about attending the ceremony. According to Kennedy's former assistant, RoseMarie Terenzio, Bessette considered skipping the wedding altogether.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr on April 15, 1996 in Geneva. Switzerland | Source: Getty Images
Even after Terenzio persuaded her to go, as it was a family wedding, Bessette was still not convinced. Two weeks before the event, Bessette pulled aside longtime friend Barry Stott and shared her concern that she was terrified of flying with Kennedy as he was so easily distracted:
"And he doesn't seem to take it seriously enough."
Days before the wedding, Bessette reportedly changed her mind, knowing how much it meant to her husband.
The trio — Kennedy, Bessette, and Bessette's older sister, Lauren, boarded the plane and were on their way to the ceremony when they met their tragic end. The plane, piloted by Kennedy, crashed off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, killing all aboard.
Flowers left outside the home of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on N. Moore St. in Tribeca on July 18, 1999 | Source: Getty Images
Their deaths raised uproar seeing as they were high-profile people. But their tragic demise also caused speculation about what could have caused the crash.
The Crash Was Not an Accident — Other Ensuing Theories
After the deaths of Kennedy, his wife, and his sister-in-law following the tragic crash into the Atlantic Ocean, the National Transportation Safety Board gave an official statement saying the crash was an accident caused by pilot error.
However, not everyone agrees. Over the years, there has been speculation over the accuracy of the statement, and more theories have come up explaining the crash.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and bride Carolyn Bessette Kennedy standing in front of their apartment in Tribecca in October 1996 | Source: Getty Images
According to Medium.com, Kennedy and Bessette drove from New York to Essex County Airport in New Jersey in the late afternoon. They planned to board the small plane with a stop at Martha's Vineyard before finally arriving in Hyannis.
Lauren was to join them on their flight and was arriving from Manhattan in a separate vehicle. However, she was first attending a business meeting that ran late. The delay resulted in the three taking off shortly after dusk.
Kennedy, who had only owned the plane, a Piper Saratoga II, for eleven weeks, and his wife and sister-in-law, boarded the plane and soon took off, never to get to their destination.
Carolyn Bessette at the Calvin Klein Collection Fall 1995 Ready To Wear Runway Show | Source: Getty Images
Experts say Kennedy made four major mistakes that led to the crash. But the one major one was not taking time to call flight service for an in-person briefing on the latest weather. At the time of takeoff, the weather was barely suitable for launch. Since Kennedy did not get a weather briefing, he was unaware that his route was covered in a heavy haze.
A report by NTSB noted that there had been no record of the pilot or the plane receiving a briefing on the weather before takeoff.
Another mistake experts say Kennedy made was flying into such hazy weather without Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), an add-on to a pilot's license that allows them to fly by relying solely on instruments.
Television star Jerry Seinfeld (L) in a conversation with John F. Kennedy Jr. during the taping of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" in Burbank, California on May 14 1998 | Source: Getty Images
Kennedy also did not turn on the autopilot when entering the dark void. Experts say he could have averted the crush by pressing two buttons on the plane, safely landing him and his passengers at his destination.
And finally, he turned down an instructor's offer. Kennedy's flight instructor later said he was unaware that Kennedy had made any flights without an instructor. He disclosed that he wouldn't have been okay with Kennedy flying into the haze himself and that Kennedy had turned down the offer, saying he wanted to do it alone.
And even though experts believe that Kennedy and his family would still be alive had he made different decisions on that fateful night, not everyone blames him for the crash. Some think the crash was not an accident, and the blame on Kennedy is a coverup to conceal what happened.
John F. Kennedy Jr. (L), William Kennedy Smith (C), and JFK Jr.'s dog Sampson (R) walking along a breakwater on the family compound in Hyannisport on January 23, 1995 | Source: Getty Images
John Koerner of the "Fatal Voyage: The Death of JFK Jr." podcast said the crash was not just a mishap but that there was something sinister behind it.
In episode 10 of the podcast, Koerner said that Kennedy was a meticulous pilot and had flown for a long time. He was incredibly aware of what he was doing and could never have taken such a risk, knowing all too well the danger he would be putting himself and his family in.
Others say the crash was a suicide attempt by Kennedy because of his alleged failing publication and relationship troubles. Homicide Detective Colin McLaren, however, said the theory was too far-fetched.
John Kennedy Jr., with his injured hand wrapped in a bandage, strolling in Tribeca with his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, after brunch at Bubby's on October 18, 1997 | Source: Getty Images
Another party who disagrees that the crash resulted from Kennedy's negligence is John Hankey, the writer and director of "Dark Legacy," a documentary about Kennedy. Hankey said Kennedy may have been targeted and killed.
He believes the claims of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that Kennedy did not contact any flight control on his path to advise of any unforeseen difficulties he could be flying into was outrageous, and none of the flight instructors he spoke to could believe it either,
John Kennedy Jr. with wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy at Asia de Cuba Restaurant in 1997 | Source: Getty Images
Hankey also claimed that after Kennedy's plane disappeared, it was curious that the Pentagon took over reporting about the crash and even released information like Kennedy's plane having no instructor, which the military should have had no way of knowing.
Moreover, he said those on the ground on that particular day can confirm that there was no bad weather and hence no conditions that could have caused disorientation, debunking previous claims suggesting this. He said that on the evening of Kennedy's flight:
"There was no rain. There was no fog; it was fine."
John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy at the "Brite Nite Whitney" Fundraising Gala on March 9, 1999 at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City | Source: Getty Images
In the podcast, Koerner also revealed that Kennedy was obsessed with discovering who killed his father and was hell-bent on finding the truth. He planned on using his money to reopen the investigation, which may have been a possible catalyst for someone plotting his end.
Twenty-four years after Kennedy's death, the cause remains a mystery. Even though many have long believed it to be an accident, it continues to raise more questions, with people now wondering whether there was a sinister reason behind his death that has remained unperceivable.
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