Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy died late Tuesday night at his Hyannis Port, Massachusetts home after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. He was 77 years old.
The youngest of nine children of Joseph Kennedy and Rose Kennedy, he became a U.S. Senator (D-MA) in 1962, serving nearly 47 years in that capability. He was the last of the male siblings in the famous family. His sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver died on August 11, 2009.
Two brothers were gunned down by assassin’s bullets; President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, pictured in the family photo above.
He suffered a scandal in July 1969 when he was involved in the drowning death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old campaign worker who was with him in a car after a party on Martha’s Vineyard Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy drove Kopechne’s car off the Dike Bridge at Poucha Pond inlet. He managed to escape from the submerged vehicle but his passenger did not.
Kennedy fled the scene and did not seek help from authorities until after the woman’s body was discovered the next day. A grand jury was convened in 1970 but issued no indictment. Many doubted he would survive the firestorm but he easily won reelection in 1970 with 62 percent of the vote.
He is survived by his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy, a sister Jean Kennedy Smith and his three children with ex-wife Joan Kennedy: Edward Kennedy Jr. (Teddy), Kara Kennedy and Patrick Kennedy.
The family issued the following statement: “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light of our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over the past year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”
View Kennedy family photo, as well as a photo of Mary Jo Kopechne and Ted at her funeral below. We’ve also included video footage of the Dike Bridge, where the accident occurred.