John F. Kennedy Jr. Died Tragically 20 Years Ago Today
John F Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy, died on July 16, 1999.
Exactly 20 years ago, the 38-year-old was the victim of a tragic plane crash, killing him, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren Bessette.
All three bodies were discovered five days later by underwater divers.
Twenty years ago, John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a tragic plane crash on his way to his cousin’s wedding on July 16, 1999. As the son of President John F. Kennedy, JFK Jr. was famous from birth. He spent the first three years of his life in the White House—and the American public was devastated by his untimely death at age 38.
Growing up, JFK Jr. was known for two things: his good looks and political savvy. A trained lawyer, he launched the political magazine George in 1995. But while JFK Jr. was born into a political dynasty, he and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, were reluctant celebrities. Nonetheless, people were obsessed with their glamour, and paparazzi followed them relentlessly. That, according to People, put a serious strain on their relationship.
The two were reportedly struggling as a couple just before they died—it's alleged that Carolyn only decided to board the flight, on which her sister Lauren was also a passenger, at the last minute.
Check out this video revealing the private side of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's life together:
What happened to John F. Kennedy Jr.?
People across the nation were stunned in July 1999 when news broke that a plane John recently bought and had been piloting was reported missing.
At some point during the flight, John checked in with Martha's Vineyard Airport, where he planned to drop Lauren off before the wedding, but the plane never arrived, according to The New York Times.
John, Carolyn, and Lauren's flight started on the evening of Friday, July 16, and a search began for them early Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, a luggage tag bearing Lauren’s name washed along shore at Martha’s Vineyard, but their remains weren't located until five days later at about 2:30 a.m. by an underwater camera that checked objects detected by sonar, The Times reported.
Navy divers located the wreckage hours later and found the bodies of Carolyn, Lauren, and John inside, still strapped to their seats. They were all in their thirties: John was 38, Carolyn 33, and Lauren 34.
How exactly did John F. Kennedy's plane crash?
Investigators later told The Times that John’s plane plunged at 5,000 feet per minute just before he lost radar contact on Friday night. Aviation experts said that indicated the plane had gone into a "graveyard spiral," which is a corkscrew descent where the pilot becomes disoriented and loses control of the plane.
John F. Kennedy Jr. was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea in a Naval ceremony.
Though he died two decades ago, people are still captivated by John, his life, and the tragic way he died.
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