Your Guide to Carolyn Bessette’s Family: All About Her Sisters, Mom & More
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette was never just about the romance. Over the course of the first season, the FX limited series has explored the complex family dynamics that John and Carolyn (played by Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon) had with their loved ones in the years leading up to their tragic deaths. Sydney Lemmon, who plays Carolyn’s sister, Lauren Bessette, made her first appearance in the show’s opening moments.
The show’s season finale will be tackling the devastating deaths of John, Carolyn, and Lauren in the July 16, 1999, plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The tragedy changed their families’ lives forever. Constance Zimmer plays Carolyn and Lauren’s mom, Ann Messina Freeman. Ann first appeared in Episode 4 of the show and then gave a poignant (and Emmy-worthy) wedding speech in Episode 6.
Ann will return in the season finale, which airs on March 26. Zimmer recently told Decider that the final episode of the season will be “very, very difficult for everybody to watch.” Swooon has gathered all the key information about Carolyn Bessette’s family, so you can learn more about her siblings, her father, what happened to her mother, and more.
Constance Zimmer as Ann Marie Messina and Sydney Lemmon as Lauren Bessette in ‘Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.’ (Kurt Iswarienko / FX)
How many siblings did Carolyn Bessette have?
Carolyn had two older sisters, Lauren and Lisa, who were twins. Lauren and Lisa were born on November 5, 1964, with Carolyn arriving just over a year later on January 5, 1966.
What did Carolyn’s sisters do for a living?
Lauren studied economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and began working as an analyst at Morgan Stanley after college. In 1994, she moved to Hong Kong for her job. Four years later, she came back to New York City and was promoted from vice president to principal. Lauren was still working for Morgan Stanley when she died.
As for Lisa, she always kept a low profile. She graduated from the University of Michigan and didn’t live in New York City like her sisters. Not much is known about Lisa’s life today. In 2019, the New York Post reported that Lisa was working part-time at the University of Michigan Art Museum as a “contract editor.”
Did Lauren Bessette date Bobby Shriver?
At the time of her death, it was reported that Lauren was dating Bobby Shriver, JFK Jr.’s cousin and Maria Shriver‘s brother. Lauren was traveling with John and Carolyn to visit Bobby in Martha’s Vineyard, per Elizabeth Beller’s Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
What happened to Carolyn Bessette’s mom?
In the wake of Carolyn, Lauren, and John’s deaths, Ann grieved privately. She never spoke publicly about the tragedy.
Ann, along with her husband, Dr. Richard Freeman, and her ex-husband, William Bessette, released the following statement about the deaths of their daughters and John: “Each of these three young people – Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy Jr. – was the embodiment of love, accomplishment and passion for life. John and Carolyn were true soul mates and we hope to honor them in death in the simple manner in which they chose to live their lives. We take solace in the thought that together they will comfort Lauren for eternity. We are especially appreciative of the privacy and support provided us by our friends and family and community. Nothing in life is preparation for the loss of a child.”
Before the one-year anniversary of the crash, Ann released a new statement through her lawyer: “We have been besieged by requests for comments as the anniversary … draws near. The loss of these three young people whom we loved so much has forever changed our lives. We continue to struggle with our grief and we choose to maintain what’s left of our privacy.”
In 2000, The Cape Cod Times reported that Ann had “social ties and obligations in her grief.” The newspaper reported that Ann was heard telling a friend, “I used to have twins.”
Ann died on April 24, 2007, at the age of 67.
Who is Carolyn Bessette’s dad?
Carolyn’s dad was William Bessette, Ann’s first husband. Ann and William were married from 1963 to 1974. Like his ex-wife, William remained out of the public eye.
Ann met her second husband, Richard, when Carolyn needed treatment for scoliosis as a child. Richard was a recent widower and had three kids of his own. Ann and Richard married in 1977.
Did Carolyn and Lauren’s family sue the Kennedys?
Weeks after the deaths of her daughter, Ann filed court papers to control the estates of her daughters and be given the right to file personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in the future, per The New York Times. Nearly two years later, Ann was authorized by a judge to settle with John’s estate for “the wrongful death and conscious pain and suffering” of her daughters.
The amount of the settlement was never publicly disclosed. At the time, Ann’s lawyer disputed a report claiming the settlement figure was $15 million.
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Season Finale, Thursday, March 26, 9/8c, FX
