Why JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Created Such A Media Frenzy?
No couple commanded the media's attention during the 1990s as much as John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette.
As the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, John Jr. was in the spotlight from a very early age.
At the age of 3, his father was assassinated, and Jacqueline would then try to provide a better and safer life for John and his sister Caroline.
As John grew into adulthood, the media followed his every move, even when it came to his personal life.
John's bachelor days
With his family name and his good looks, John Jr. became the most sought after celebrity in the tabloids.
John's personal life became the talk of the media and during the early 1990s, he dated a few famous celebrities.
Brooke Shields and Cindy Crawford were rumored to have dated the Kennedy heir.
John was also in a relationship with actress Sarah Jessica Parker. However, as Parker would later reveal, the reason behind their split is because she couldn't handle the attention that came along with dating John Jr.
John's next relationship was with actress Daryl Hannah. The two were in a serious relationship and rumors swirled about marriage. However, the couple split after five years together. Rumors suggest that the reason behind the break up was due to Jacqueline's disapproval of Daryl.
John and Carolyn's marriage
Shortly, after his split with Daryl Hannah in 1994, John met Carolyn Bessette.
The Kennedy heir fell for the Calvin Klein publicity director.
When the two went public with their relationship, the media went wild. Paparazzi began tracking their every move. Whether they were in New York or Hyannis Port, photos surfaced every week of the couple.
On September 21, 1996, the couple shocked the media when they married in a private ceremony in Cumberland Island, Georgia.
Photos soon surfaced of the ceremony and in one memorable pic, John is kissing his wife's hand as they exit the church.
People were excited about the news of John Jr. and Carolyn's wedding. After years of bachelorhood, John was ready to settle down and Carolyn was the perfect woman for him.
Marriage problems
While John Jr. and Carolyn seemed to have a fairy-tale romance, we would later learn things weren't always perfect for the couple.
Prior to getting married, the couple were caught on camera having a heated fight in a New York park. Whatever happened that day, the couple managed to work it out and continue with their wedding plans.
However, problems continued to plague the couple following their wedding.
Carolyn couldn't handle the media attention surrounding her marriage, and often had to dodge the paparazzi while out on the town.
Aside from the media frenzy, the couple often argued about whether to have kids and John's interest in starting a political career.
According to friends of John, things became so bad between the couple that John contemplated divorce.
Their tragic deaths
July 16, 1999, will go down as one of the saddest for the Kennedy family.
John Jr. was piloting a plane with Carolyn and her sister Lauren on board. The three were traveling from Fairfield, New Jersey to Martha's Vineyard, but they never reached their destination.
The Coast Guard began a search and rescue mission for the plane and its passengers. Five days later on July 21st, Coast Guard officials confirmed they had found the plane wreckage and the bodies of the three passengers.
John Jr. and Carolyn's death left the nation in mourning. Many believed their lives were taken too soon and the couple still had their whole lives ahead of them.
20 years after their tragic death, John Jr. and Carolyn continue to be the subject of documentaries and news stories.
We've learned a lot about their relationship from their closet friends, and one has to wonder what life would've been like for the couple if they were still alive.
