Tag: jfk jr

JFK Jr. largely lived in the shadow of his late father, President John F. Kennedy. 35 years after his father’s death, JFK Jr. also had a similar fate to an early, tragic death.

The late attorney rarely talked about his father. When he was a young boy, the boy largely known as “John John” was asked about what happened to his father. He responded, “He’s going to heaven.”

Related: JFK Jr.’s Will Revealed Which Kennedys Would Inherit His Fortune After His & Carolyn Bessette’s Fatal Plane Crash

He broke his silence about the effect of his father’s death in an interview with ABC’s Prime Time Live. “That act, that day does not have much to do with my life. My father’s life has to do with my life,” he recalled.

How Old Was JFK Jr. When His Father Died?

JFK Jr. was 2 years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. His father’s funeral was held on his 3rd birthday.

One of the most famous photos from the funeral was when the toddler was saluting his father’s casket as it was passing by. “I was standing by him,” archbishop Philip Hannan told historian William Manchester. “I saw the reaction of the people across the street. It was an instantaneous reaction. They broke down. I had heard Mrs. Kennedy say ‘John, salute.’  I knew then that this was probably the most poignant picture of the century.”

Throughout his life, JFK Jr. refused to talk about his father’s death. Historian Steven M. Gillon, who was friends with the George magazine founder for 18 years, recalled to People, “It was a topic that John did not discuss. The only topic that was absolutely off-limits.”

“John said, ‘I don’t understand why people are so fascinated with my father’s death,’” Gillon recalls. “He couldn’t understand why people focused so much energy on it. He wanted to remember his father for the life that he lived, and that’s how he wanted others to remember him.”

Gillon also said that JFK Jr.’s life trajectory eerily paralleled his father’s and theorized he would go for a presidential run if he lived. “A lot of the family mystique revolved around his father, the emotional connection that the public had to John’s father,” Gillon says. “John was his father’s son. John was the only one who could have carried his family legacy into the future. All the expectations for that were placed on him.”

“John’s father is frozen in time,” says Gillon, “and now John is too. We can’t see how he would have evolved.”

“The other layer to the tragedy is that, by 1999, he figured out who he is. And what he discovered is yes, he wants to go into politics. He wants to be his father’s son. But he dies just at the moment when he discovers who he is. The one thing John will always share with his father is this sense of what might have been.”

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

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John F. Kennedy Jr and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, were one of the most prominent celebrity couples of the 90s.

The couple dominated headlines and front pages with their chic style and lavish socialite life, but all eyes were on him since he was the only son of President John F. Kennedy. However, their love story was tragically cut short. The couple, alongside her sister Lauren, were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard on July 16, 1999, on their way to a wedding. 

Related: The Truth Behind Princess Diana & JFK Jr.’s Secret Night Together After Her Divorce From Charles

What was JFK Jr.’s net worth?

JFK Jr.’s net worth was reportedly $100 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He worked as a New York City Assistant District Attorney for nearly four years and launched George magazine in 1995.

JFK Jr. inherited a considerable amount of wealth from his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ will. At the time of John F. Kennedy’s death, Jacqueline was bequeathed $25,000.00 from her late husband.

What was Carolyn Bessette’s net worth?

Carolyn Bessette’s net worth has not been made public, but it’s assumed that her net worth could be combined with her husband’s.

Who inherited JFK Jr.’s money?

JFK Jr.’s will was made public right after his death. JFK Jr. left his estate to his wife, Carolyn, per his will. “I give all my tangible property (as distinguished from money, securities, and the like), wherever located, other than my scrimshaw set previously owned by my father, to my wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy,” it read.

“I give and devise all my interest in my cooperative apartment located at 20-26 Moore Street, Apartment 9E, in said New York, including all my shares therein and any proprietary leases with respect thereto, to my said wife, Carolyn.’” The will stated that if Carolyn were also to die, John’s sister Caroline and her children were next in line to inherit his personal possessions.

It was revealed that he gave money from the trust to 14 family members and friends, as well as his father’s presidential library and Reaching Up, a charity Kennedy founded in 1985 to help people who are developmentally disabled.

The only item that was written down in his will was John’s beloved scrimshaw set—sailor’s carvings made from whales’ teeth. It belonged to John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated three days before his JFK Jr.’s third birthday. He listed his nephew, Jack Schlossberg, as the recipient.