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JFK Jr.'s Sister-in-Law Breaks Decades of Silence
15 Feb
Summary
- Lisa Bessette lives quietly in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- She was close to her sisters Carolyn and Lauren Bessette.
- She rarely speaks publicly about the family tragedy.
Lisa Bessette, the sole surviving sibling of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, has been photographed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 61-year-old art scholar has lived a private life since the July 1999 private plane crash that claimed the lives of her twin sister Lauren, Carolyn, and John F. Kennedy Jr.
Nearly three decades later, with renewed public interest sparked by a new FX drama, Lisa Bessette continues to guard her sisters' memory. She expressed minimal awareness of the series and declined to speak with reporters, emphasizing her long-held privacy.
Lisa Bessette completed her PhD in medieval art at the University of Michigan in 2005. She attended Carolyn and JFK Jr.'s 1996 wedding. While her mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against JFK Jr.'s estate, ultimately settling for $15 million, Lisa has kept her grief private.
Raised with her sisters in Connecticut by their mother and stepfather, Lisa has built a quiet life in Ann Arbor. She lives with her partner, Howard Lay, a professor at the University of Michigan, where she also worked as an art scholar. Her father and stepfather remain her closest living relatives.
