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John F. Kennedy Jr.

The son of President Kennedy who became 'America's Prince' — and died in a 1999 plane crash

Deceased — John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash on 16 July 1999 at age 38, piloting a Piper Saratoga into the Atlantic near Martha's Vineyard. The NTSB ruled it an accident caused by pilot disorientation in poor visibility. Despite years of conspiracy theories, there is no evidence he survived.

John F. Kennedy Jr. was born on 25 November 1960, the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As a young child he became a national figure when he saluted his father's casket at the state funeral, an image that endeared him to the country. He grew up in the intense glare of American public life, known affectionately as 'John-John.'

He earned degrees from Brown University and New York University School of Law, worked as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, and later founded George magazine, a politics-and-pop-culture publication. He married Carolyn Bessette in 1996.

On 16 July 1999, Kennedy was piloting a Piper Saratoga to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, with his wife and sister-in-law aboard when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard. All three died. The NTSB concluded the crash was caused by spatial disorientation and pilot error in hazy, dark conditions — not mechanical failure, sabotage or foul play. His ashes were scattered at sea.

Quick facts

Born
Nov 25, 1960, Washington D.C.
Parents
John F. Kennedy & Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Education
Brown, NYU Law
Career
Assistant DA, founded George magazine
Married
Carolyn Bessette (1996)
Died
Jul 16, 1999 (plane crash, age 38)
Investigation
NTSB — pilot disorientation, not foul play

Sources

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