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<p type = "text" content = "Beginning of May 1999, George The magazine organized a table at the White House correspondents dinner. The glossy guest list reflected the model of the annual event: Hollywood celebrities (Sean Penn, Claire Danes), controversial pop personalities (Larry Flynt), and writers and editors. These were rarely the biggest stars of the night, but GeorgeThe editor-in-chief was John F. Kennedy Jr. and his appointment for the night was the his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy"data-reactid =" 32 "> At the beginning of May 1999, George The magazine organized a table at the White House correspondents dinner. The glossy guest list reflected the model of the annual event: Hollywood celebrities (Sean Penn, Claire Danes), controversial pop personalities (Larry Flynt), and writers and editors. These were rarely the biggest stars of the night, but GeorgeThe editor was John F. Kennedy Jr. and his appointment for the night was his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
John, 38, was an American royalty, as famous for his appearance as for his name. His wife, 33, was a mysterious and elegant enigma. They were irresistible for the cameras in their best black tie, shaking hands with politicians and stars.
<p type = "text" content = "" It was magical, " George RoseMarie Terenzio, an employee, said of that night. "John was really ready to make waves with George. He was proud of it and thought: It is the moment, it is the place and we are at home. We have just had a good time. Carolyn was really proud of John and she was happy to be there to support him. She talked to everyone at the table and everyone at the next table. She spoke to all the staff and said hello. "" Data-reactid = "34"> "It was magical," George RoseMarie Terenzio, an employee, said of that night. "John was really ready to make waves with George. He was proud of it and thought: It is the moment, it is the place and we are at home. We have just had a good time. Carolyn was really proud of John and she was happy to be there to support him. She talked to everyone at the table and everyone at the next table. She spoke to all the staff and said hello.
<p type = "text" content = "After the dinner held at the Washington Hilton, the group went to an after-party organized by Vanity Fair. "It was this exclusive political event for celebrities, and they were the stars of the show, "says Terenzio. "Everyone stopped and returned as they entered."
"data-reactid =" 55 "> After the dinner held at the Washington Hilton, the group went to an afterparty organized by Vanity Fair. "It was this exclusive political event for celebrities, and they were the stars of the show, "says Terenzio. "Everyone stopped and returned as they entered."
<p type = "text" content = "" This was a time. George had to be understood; John's cousin is dying. Carolyn may have to decide how she wants to live her life. It is at this point that the accident occurred. "" Data-reactid = "56"> "It was a time. George had to be understood; John's cousin is dying. Carolyn may have to decide how she wants to live her life. It is at this point that the accident occurred. "
It is here that one of the most famous images of the couple has been taken. John's blazer is off and Carolyn is snuggled on her lap. In one frame, he whispers to him in the ear, in another he kisses her. All the issues that worried them – about their marriage, their deep distrust of the media, their future, and what it would take for them – seemed a long way off. They are a couple who are comfortable and in love, happy and relaxed. They go together.
<p type = "text" content = "It's impossible to know if this photo is the truth about John and Carolyn or just a happy moment caught in the whirlwind that has followed them everywhere. In the summer of 1999, John and Carolyn were at a crossroads: they were facing changing careers, the ups and downs of the early years of marriage, and the issues surrounding children and, poignantly , in the last days of a loved one, John's cousin, Anthony Radziwill.
"data-reactid =" 58 "> It's impossible to know if this photo is the truth about John and Carolyn or simply a happy moment caught in the whirlwind that has followed them everywhere, despite their status as a couple in gold, Summer of 1999, John and Carolyn was at a crossroads, facing changing careers, the ups and downs of the early years of marriage, and the issues surrounding children and, poignantly, the last days of marriage. A close, John's cousin, Anthony Radziwill.
"You are in the middle of a change like this, and that is when the accident happened."
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The choices they could make and the answers they might have found – they were made forever unknowable on July 16. This Friday night, John took off in his little private plane from the airport in Essex County, New Jersey, with for passengers Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette, 34. Reached their destination on Martha's Vineyard, the plane crashed, killing them all.
"data-reactid =" 83 "> The choices they were able to make – and the answers they could find – were rendered indefinable on July 16. On that foggy Friday night, John took off in his small private plane from Essex, New Jersey County Airport, with its passengers Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette, 34, before heading to Martha's Vineyard, the plane crashed, killing them all.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Describe those who have known John and Carolyn a warm couple who brought together improbable knowledge and welcomed everyone around them, from fashion fashions to classmates George colleagues of all levels and celebrities like John's longtime friend Christiane Amanpour. John was compulsively busy; in addition to its practical role in Georgehe had many family obligations Kennedy. They traveled (this spring to London for the opening of the new Ralph Lauren store) and had a nice family weekend at Martha's Vineyard. "Data-reactid =" 85 "> Those who knew John and Carolyn as a couple describe a warm-hearted pair who brought together unlikely acquaintances and welcomed everyone from fashion and classmates to George colleagues of all levels and celebrities like John's longtime friend Christiane Amanpour. John was compulsively busy; in addition to its practical role in Georgehe had many family obligations Kennedy. They went (this spring to London, at the opening of the new Ralph Lauren store) and had a nice family weekend at Martha's Vineyard.
Living in a North Moore Street loft, they were icons of Tribeca, halfway through the transition that would take him from the commercial district to New York's richest postal code. John and Carolyn were regularly seen on the cobblestone streets with their dog on Friday. They helped popularize neighborhood restaurants such as Odeon and Bubby, both of which have become downtown establishments.
Photo credit: EVAN AGOSTINI / GETTY IMAGES
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "But beneath the surface, John and Carolyn stand out. In early 1994, Anthony Radziwill was diagnosed with rare sarcoma (the news came a few weeks after Jackie Kennedy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, take his life a few months later.) Anthony and John were very close. Son of John and Lee's maternal aunt and Polish prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł, Anthony was almost the same age as John and was the only cousin of Jackie's family. Both were like brothers, serving as best man in weddings each other. "data-reactid =" 107 "> But below the surface, John and Carolyn were struggling with a heartbreaking crisis.In early 1994, Anthony Radziwill was diagnosed with rare sarcoma. (The news arrived a few weeks later, Jackie Kennedy Anthony and John were very close, son of John's maternal aunt, Lee, and Polish prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł, Anthony was about the same age as John and the only one, Jackie's cousin, a male cousin, looked like a brother and served as the best man one to the other.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "During his illness, Anthony underwent surgery ., chemotherapy and experimental treatments: always at his side his wife Carole, another producer at ABC News with whom he got married in 1994. But in 1999, it became clear that Anthony would not recover. "The summer of 1999 was very difficult for all of us," recalls Carole. "We knew that it was likely that Anthony would not survive Labor Day, and we were all nervous, not knowing what to do or say. "Data-reactid =" 108 "> During his illness, Anthony underwent surgery, chemotherapy and experimental treatments, and by his side, his wife Carole, another ABC News producer with whom he had is married in 1994. But in 1999, it became clear that Anthony would not recover. "The summer of 1999 was very difficult for all of us," recalls Carole, "do not survive to see Labor Day, and we we were all nervous, not knowing what to do or say, we all did our best to keep smiling. "
Photo credit: ALBERT MCCABE / GETTY IMAGES
Those who knew John saw the impact of Anthony's disease on him, especially in 1999. "It was a very painful year. [for him], to look at someone with whom he had grown up, who was exactly his age, and who is dying and who is very hard on his wife, his sister, his mother, "says Sasha Chermayeff, an artist and longtime friend who John met for the first time and he both transferred to the Phillips Andover Academy as juniors. "For John, I think Anthony's illness has brought everyone together, including Carolyn and him."
Carolyn was also deeply touched by the ordeal that the Radziwill faced. Carole and she had established immediate ties: each of them had gone from a teenager job behind the counter of a Caldor department store to a marriage with royalty, figuratively speaking and literally. Their relationship deepened during Anthony's illness. "We got closer, often going to different hospitals day after day," recalls Carole. "I only spent five years with Carolyn before her death in 1999, but we went through a lot of real life things in such a short time."
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "John might have made his work a welcome distraction but his professional life was also in crisis. George in September 1995, with a cover photo of Cindy Crawford by Herb Ritts equipped like George Washington, the magazine had been a success. The name and mystique of Kennedy gave George access to talent that most recent publications can only dream of. Madonna contributed to the first issue and the covers of Kate Moss and Barbra Streisand were noticed. The presence of the single most eligible single from the United States at the helm created an integrated audience, and the first two issues broke records of ad sales in a new publication. "Data-reactid =" 131 "> John might have tried to work as a welcome distraction, but his professional life was also in crisis. George in September 1995, with a cover photo of Cindy Crawford equipped with George Washington, the magazine was a success. The name and mystique of Kennedy gave George access to talent that most recent publications can only dream of. Madonna contributed to the first issue and the covers of Kate Moss and Barbra Streisand were noticed. The fact that the US's most eligible baccalaureate was at the helm of the United States created an integrated audience and the first two issues broke records in a new publication.
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The magazine's skill was intersecting It was intended to provide intelligent and informed political coverage to an audience often annoyed by the subject. "John's basic idea was that we live in a world where, whether we like it or not , pop culture and politics get confused, and if you treat politics as part of pop culture and politicians as celebrities, you could attract more people to the tent and get interested in politics, says the literary agent David Kuhn, a friend of John's who had worked as a publisher Vanity Fair and the New Yorker and consulted on the launch of George. "He was really ahead of his time with this idea, and no one credited it. The fact that Donald Trump is president proves that what John said 20 years ago is finally realized. "" Data-reactid = "152"> The magazine's mission was to take stock of the intersection of politics and pop culture. It aimed to introduce smart, informed political coverage to an audience often bored by the subject. "John's vanity was to live in a world where, whether we like it or not, pop culture and politics get confused, and if you treat politics as a part of the pop culture and politicians as celebrities, you could attract more people into the tent to take an interest in politics, "said literary agent David Kuhn, a friend of John's who had worked as a publisher at Vanity Fair and the New Yorker and consulted on the launch of George. "He was really ahead of his time with this idea, and no one credited it. The fact that Donald Trump is president proves that what John was saying 20 years ago has materialized. "
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "But the magazine, even though prescient, missed its goal to be profitable after three years and to drop the ad rates in subsequent years.In 1999, John and his associates faced tough choices about the future of their business. which was stressful was that we were at a critical point. "Berman, author of JFK Jr., George, & amp; Me: a memory. "What would work for us? Are we going to be better at a big company? Is it more an independent project? Should John find funds and we do it ourselves? "" Data-reactid = "153"> But the magazine, as cautious as it is, missed its profitability target in three years, and advertising rates fell in the following years. In 1999, John and his associates faced tough choices about the future of their business: "I think what was stressful was that we were at a critical point," says Berman, author of JFK Jr., George and me: a thesis. "What would work for us? Are we going to be better at a big company? Is it more an independent project? Should John find funding and we do it ourselves? "
<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Kennedy's partner in: George was the French publisher Hachette Filipacchi, who was apparently considering withdrawing funds from the magazine. John had been seen at meetings with leaders such as Conde Nast's Steve Florio. He had been to Toronto the week before his death for a meeting on a potential partnership with Canadian investors to buy back shares in Toronto. George."data-reactid =" 154 "> Kennedy's partner in George was the French publisher Hachette Filipacchi, who was apparently considering withdrawing funds from the magazine. John had been seen at meetings with leaders such as Conde Nast's Steve Florio. He had been to Toronto the week before his death for a meeting on a potential partnership with Canadian investors to buy back shares in Toronto. George.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In spring 1999, Hachette received a new American CEO, Jack Kliger, put John on an even more fragile footing with his partner, but Kliger is disputing the idea that Hachette had stopped believing. George, now insisting that he was working in good faith with Kennedy to keep the magazine alive. "It did not bring money back then, and the trend lines were not going well in terms of revenue growth versus cost," Kliger said. "He understood all that and he wanted to develop an alternative plan that I was ready to present to the parent company in France. "Data-reactid =" 155 "> In the spring of 1999, Hachette had a new American CEO, Jack Kliger, who placed John on an even more fragile footing with his company.Kliger however disputes the idea that Hachette had stopped believing in George, now insisting that he was working in good faith with Kennedy to keep the magazine alive. "It did not bring money back then, and the trend lines were not going well in terms of revenue growth versus cost," Kliger said. "He understood all that and he wanted to develop an alternative plan that I was ready to present to the parent company in France. We were working on it efficiently, and then the story was shorter. "
Kliger says that Kennedy canceled a meeting with him scheduled for the afternoon of the day of his death, explaining that he was leaving for the weekend but that he had the intention of meet Kliger the week ahead.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Hanging over John at any time was the question what exactly would he do with his life and if he would eventually follow his father and uncles into the family business and seek an elective position? "After his marriage, this potential route became even more difficult because it would have Needed the full participation of Carolyn, who kept a close watch on her private life, expressed very early her disgust for the spotlight associated with her Kennedy status.
"Data-reactid =" 157 "> The question of what exactly he would do with his life was restful for John, and to know if he would eventually follow his father and his uncles in there. As a family-run business and running for office, her marriage path has become even more difficult as she needed the full participation of Carolyn, who kept a close watch on her private life. which accompanied the fact of being a Kennedy was expressed very early in their relationship.
<p class = "web-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "During the press conference for the launch of George, Newsday reported that Carole Radziwill had been confused with a Carolyn reporter. "She would not be found dead here," Radziwill told the newspaper. "Data-reactid =" 158 "> During the press conference organized on the occasion of the launch of George, Newsday reported that Carole Radziwill had been confused with a Carolyn reporter. "She would not be found dead here," Radziwill told the newspaper.
Photo credit: NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ARCHIVES / GETTY IMAGES
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In 1999, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was facing her crossroads When she and John had started dating, two years before their 1996 marriageshe was working for Calvin Klein. Although she is often described as a golden girl from Greenwich, Connecticut, she was more stripping than what this reputation entails. Her parents had divorced at a very young age and Carolyn and her twin sisters, Lisa and Lauren, had been raised by their mother Ann Freeman, an educator, and her stepfather, Richard Freeman, a surgeon. Carolyn attended Boston University, where she had secured part-time jobs. "She has always worked," said Colleen Curtis, who shared a room with Carolyn at the university, T & amp; C in 2016. "Always". "data-reactid =" 179 "> In 1999, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was facing her own professional crossroads, and when she and John started dating in 1996, two years before their marriage, she worked for Calvin Klein. is often described as a golden girl in Greenwich, Connecticut, she was more frightening than this reputation, her parents had divorced at a very young age, and Carolyn and her twin sisters, Lisa and Lauren, had been raised by their mother. Freeman, educator, and her stepfather Richard Freeman, surgeon.Colyyn studied at Boston University, where she had secured a part-time job. "She has always worked," said Colleen. Curtis, who shared a room with Carolyn at the university. T & C in 2016. "Always."
She had gone from a job in retail at the Calvin Klein store in Chestnut Hill, Mass., To a rarefied role in the business. "I've been doing it for 40 years now, and five or six people stand out," says Neil Kraft, creative director at Calvin Klein in the '90s. "It has nothing to do with Kennedys. I do not care about that. But she was one of those people who stood out at Calvin as a force. "
Photo credit: Kevin Wisniewski / Shutterstock
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Sam Shahid was an art director who worked with Carolyn Photo of Kelly Klein, then Calvin's wife, during photo shoots, recalling having met her often in restaurants like Il Cantinori, where she was dining discreetly with friends like designer Narciso Rodriguez. "When Carolyn entered the room, you always knew that she I think Calvin just adored for her style.He really depended on her for her taste, her style, her ideas and her music, "says Shahid.
"data-reactid =" 201 "> Sam Shahid was an art director who had collaborated with Carolyn in the shooting of Calvin's wife, Kelly Klein.He remembers to have often met him in restaurants like Il Cantinori, where she was dining discreetly with friends, like designer Narciso Rodriguez. "When Carolyn entered the room, you always knew she was there, her presence. I think Calvin loved it as much as his style. It really depended on her for her taste, style, ideas and music, "says Shahid.
By the time Carolyn married John, she was no longer working for Calvin Klein, and the frenzy that followed her everywhere made it difficult to imagine her busy in a traditional office. The paparazzi were ruthless in her pursuit, storming the Tribeca apartment and following her around the neighborhood streets with such tenacity that she feared for her safety.
While John was born in the public domain and had learned to graciously accept the fact that the nation felt owning it, Carolyn went from a simple citizen to a world famous celebrity overnight, a notoriety that she had everything done to minimize. She has never granted an interview and we have almost no examples of her speaking in front of a camera. The tabloids had rushed to describe the statuesque blonde as an ice princess, unworthy of America's favorite son, and her reluctance led many to conclude that she was distant and devoid of humor.
The truth, according to his friends, was very different. "She had that sense of incredible humor, really lively and funny," says Berman. "In most cases, no one really knows what she looked like or talked about, or what kind of woman she was. I found her very down-to-earth, very funny, very friendly to her friends, very attentive. All the things you do not see in an image. "
Photo credit: LAWRENCE SCHWARTZWALD / GETTY IMAGES
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Berman and others George staff members say Carolyn treated them as a family, visiting the office and often hosting them at home. She also entertained a very united group of friends including Narciso Rodriguez, who had designed her wedding dress; Paul Wilmot, a public relations manager who was his former boss; designer Gordon Henderson; stylist Joe McKenna; Kelly Klein; Marci Klein; and casting agent Jessica Weinstein. They followed her example and never spoke to the media about her. "Data-reactid =" 225 "> Berman and others George staff members say Carolyn treated them as a family, visiting the office and often hosting them at home. She also entertained a very united group of friends including Narciso Rodriguez, who had designed her wedding dress; Paul Wilmot, a public relations manager who was his former boss; designer Gordon Henderson; stylist Joe McKenna; Kelly Klein; Marci Klein; and casting agent Jessica Weinstein. They followed her and never spoke to her about the media.
Carolyn's favorite sentence was: "We must speak."
At a commemorative mass at New York City's St. Thomas More Church on July 23, Hamilton South, one of his closest friends, delivered a eulogy that reflected the enormous ability to Carolyn's friendship. "His favorite sentence was," We have to talk. "It would be the beginning of a two or three hour phone trip, a tour to Carolyn's skyline that revealed a range of interests that let you turn from this new book to this museum, Walt Whitman's fashion, from what's in the paper to what's going on in town, it could be high and low, it left you breathless, exhausted and hungry, "he said.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "" To forgive and hide what she really was to do, she said during these interviews: "Now, remember, everything is about me." She made it the permanent object in her email: "It's about me "But it was only another one of her secrets-it wasnever about her. When you spoke to Carolyn, everything was about you and about life. "" Data-reactid = "228"> "To parody and conceal what she was really doing, she said in these interviews:" Now, remember, everything is about me. "She made it the permanent object in her e-mail:" It's about me. "But that was just another of her secrets: that's it. wasnever about her. When you spoke to Carolyn, everything was about you and about life. "
Photo credit: MICHAEL FERGUSON / GLOBE PHOTOS
<p class = "toile-atome toile-texte Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Dans ses remarques, South a également déclaré que Carolyn avait un rêve professionnel de créer des documentaires centrés sur les personnes confrontées à des défis et travaillant dans un petit bureau à Tribeca.
"data-reactid =" 249 "> Dans ses remarques, M. South a également déclaré que Carolyn rêvait professionnellement de créer des documentaires centrés sur les personnes confrontées à des défis et travaillant dans un petit bureau à Tribeca.
Le travail n'aurait pas été la seule chose qui la troublait. Plusieurs livres et articles publiés depuis leur mort ont affirmé que John et Carolyn étaient dans une situation difficile dans leur mariage; il y avait des revendications que les deux avaient été infidèles. «Trois ans de mariage ont posé problème, a déclaré Sasha Chermayeff, bonne amie de Kennedy. «Je sais qu'ils s'aimaient vraiment. Ce n'était pas un manque d'amour. "
L'une des sources de conflit peut avoir été la question de savoir s'il faut avoir des enfants. John était le parrain des deux enfants de Chermayeff et elle pensait qu'il souhaitait ardemment devenir père un jour. Carolyn avait cinq ans de moins que John et Chermayeff pense qu'il s'est peut-être senti prêt à devenir parent avant elle.
D'autres amis parlent d'un couple normal qui affronte les turbulences d'un nouveau mariage. Un autre ami proche conteste des informations faisant état de graves problèmes relationnels et dit que les deux travaillaient avec un agent immobilier pour trouver une deuxième résidence en dehors de New York et envisageaient d'avoir des enfants.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Lorsque le calendrier est retourné à juillet, Jean et Carolyn faisait de son mieux pour vivre, malgré le déclin de la santé d’Anthony et les questions qui se posaient. George. Carole et Anthony Radziwill venaient d’emménager dans Ferme Red Gate, la maison de Jackie sur Martha’s VineyardPour qu'il puisse passer son dernier été dans un environnement serein. "data-reactid =" 253 "> Alors que le calendrier passait au mois de juillet, John et Carolyn faisaient de leur mieux pour vivre, malgré le déclin de la santé d'Anthony et les questions qui se posaient. autour George. Carole et Anthony Radziwill venaient juste d’emménager à Red Gate Farm, la maison de Jackie dans Martha’s Vineyard, pour qu’il passe l’été dernier dans un environnement serein.
John se remettait d'une fracture à la cheville, une blessure qu'il a eue dans un accident de parapente lors du week-end du Memorial Day. Athlète de longue date qui a utilisé l'exercice comme l'une de ses principales formes de gestion du stress, John aurait sûrement eu hâte d'être libre du casting. Il avait maintenu son emploi du temps pendant ses béquilles, mais sa mobilité réduite aurait eu un effet profond sur son humeur.
<p class = "toile-atome toile-texte Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "La semaine précédant le crash de l'avion, On se demandait également si Carolyn accompagnerait John au mariage de son cousin Rory Kennedy, le plus jeune des enfants de Robert et Ethel Kennedy, au port de Hyannis. C'était un événement auquel John se sentait obligé d'assister en tant qu'ambassadeur de sa branche de la famille. La sœur Caroline ne serait pas là. Il a fait retirer son casting la veille du vol. Kliger, le PDG de Hachette, se souvient que John boitait encore ce vendredi.
"data-reactid =" 255 "> Dans la semaine qui a précédé l'accident d'avion, des questions se sont également posées sur la possibilité que Carolyn accompagne John au mariage à Hyannis Port de son cousin Rory Kennedy, le plus jeune des enfants de Robert et Ethel Kennedy. un événement que John a senti la pression d'assister en tant qu'ambassadeur de sa branche de la famille, car sa sœur Caroline n'y serait pas. Il n'a été enlevé que la veille du vol. Kliger, le PDG de Hachette, se souvient que John boitait encore cela Vendredi.
John était fasciné par l’aviation depuis sa plus tendre enfance, quand il regardait l’hélicoptère de son père atterrir sur la pelouse de la Maison Blanche. He pursued flying intermittently over the years, becoming more serious about it only after the death of his mother in 1994. (She reportedly disapproved of her son flying, perhaps partly due to her stepson Alexander Onassis having died in a crash in 1973.) John enrolled in a Florida school in early 1998 and received a private pilot’s license that April.
Photo credit: Estate of Stanley Tretick
Friends had been concerned about Kennedy’s interest in flying, but it fit with his enthusiasm for other adventurous pursuits, such as extreme kayaking, scuba diving, and, yes, paragliding. Chermayeff says she saw the appeal to John of piloting himself, as traveling via public airports left him uniquely vulnerable to crowds.
“It’s one thing when you’re in a restaurant and people come up to you. You can sneak out the door when you’re done and get in a cab and end up in a different place. But he hated the airport, because he was always so stuck,” she says. “He was just like, ‘I have to sit there,’ and one person after the next is just going to come up to him. He was too nice to be ruthless about it, so he loved flying, and he loved that little airport.”
While Carolyn had expressed some hesitation about flying with John, in this instance she agreed to make the trip. Her sister Lauren, who worked for Morgan Stanley and lived near them in Tribeca, chose to travel with the couple. She had weekend plans on Martha’s Vineyard, and John was going to drop her off there before continuing on to Hyannis Port.
Photo credit: LAURA CAVANAUGH / GLOBE PHOTOS
John typically made weekend flights to Massachusetts with his instructor, Jay Biederman, but Biederman was unavailable that Friday night. John chose to forgo taking another pilot. When his Piper Saratoga, which he had purchased less than three months earlier, took off from New Jersey at 8:39 p.m. on July 16, it is likely that it was John’s first time making the trip alone in his new plane. John and his passengers took off later than they had intended, and there was a thick haze that night that limited visibility; other pilots had decided not to fly.
When the plane did not arrive as scheduled, Dan Samson, a longtime friend who had planned to pick up John and Carolyn, became alarmed. He checked in with the Radziwills to see if there had perhaps been a change of plans, which ignited a ping-ponging of frantic phone calls as friends and family tried to locate them.
Eventually the coast guard and navy were brought in. The search would extend across more than 1,000 square miles and last five days. It became apparent that the plane had crashed seven miles off Martha’s Vineyard a little more than an hour after departure. Rory Kennedy postponed her wedding; the white tent that had been meant to house a reception for 275 guests was used instead as a site for family to gather and wait and pray. (Rory and her fiancé married three weeks later in a small private ceremony in Greece.)
The National Transportation Safety Board report on the accident said the probable cause of the crash was “the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was the result of spatial disorientation.” It referenced his lack of experience flying without an instructor and the fact that he wasn’t “instrument rated,” which could have helped him navigate the overcast conditions. There were also questions about his decision to fly solo and the fact that his ankle was not fully healed.
Photo credit: JOHN MOTTERN
“It was so upsetting to me that he flew that night when he had just gotten his cast off,” says Chermayeff. "He was not completely trained in instruments; he shouldn’t have done it. It was a pilot negligent mistake in which he died and two people died with him. I only have sadness about it.
Photo credit: Kevin Wisniewski/Shutterstock
Richard Weise, a friend and fraternity brother of John’s from Brown who is the son of a pilot and flies himself, had mentioned to John right after he got his pilot’s license that he subscribed to a publication about climbing accidents. “I said I read it because I want to learn from other people’s mistakes. And he said, ‘Oh, you’re just trying to discourage me,’ ” Weise says. “That was probably what he didn’t get, that whole idea of learning from other people’s mistakes.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t surprised [by the crash]. Clearly he was flying in a plane that he was not trained or equipped to handle. I think he had many great qualities, but attention to detail was not one of them.”
During a week of memorials in New York and Greenwich, John, Carolyn, and Lauren’s ashes were laid to rest in the Atlantic Ocean following a Catholic service held on a navy ship. Coverage at the time noted that being at sea made it one of the few moments in John’s life when cameras were unable to intrude.
No one in the Bessette family has ever spoken publicly about the loss of two daughters. A year after the crash, Carolyn and Lauren’s mother Ann Freeman released a statement through her lawyer. In it she said, “The loss of these three young people whom we loved so much has forever changed our lives. We continue to struggle with our grief, and we choose to maintain what's left of our privacy.”
Photo credit: HENNY RAY ABRAMS
Three weeks after the funeral, Anthony Radziwill, who had recited Psalm 23, “The Lord Is My Shepherd,” at his best friend and cousin’s memorial, died in a hospital in Manhattan. He was buried in East Hampton. Caroline Kennedy delivered a eulogy; her brother had already begun to write one, which he never got to give.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Carole Radziwill understands better than anyone that there is no way of knowing where John and Carolyn would be today, but she has imagined it frequently over the years. “I’d like to think John and Carolyn would have lots of kids. I know they both wanted that. I imagine the tabloids would eventually tire of them and leave them to live in peace. John’s magazine, George, would be a spectacular success story. But that’s the thing about young deaths: You don’t only mourn what was, you also mourn what could have been.”" data-reactid="370">Carole Radziwill understands better than anyone that there is no way of knowing where John and Carolyn would be today, but she has imagined it frequently over the years. “I’d like to think John and Carolyn would have lots of kids. I know they both wanted that. I imagine the tabloids would eventually tire of them and leave them to live in peace. John’s magazine, George, would be a spectacular success story. But that’s the thing about young deaths: You don’t only mourn what was, you also mourn what could have been.”
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "("You might also like")" data-reactid="372">("You might also like")
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