Another tragedy has struck the Kennedy family, long considered by many to be cursed. Tatiana Schlossberg, the 35-year-old granddaughter of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, has revealed she is battling a deadly illness. As a mother of two and a journalist specializing in climate issues, she called her diagnosis a “new tragedy” in her mother Caroline Kennedy’s life, adding that there is nothing she can do to stop it.
In an article for an American magazine, Tatiana shared that in May 2024 she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia—an aggressive form of blood cancer. The daughter of designer Edwin Schlossberg and the only surviving child of John and Jacqueline Kennedy noted she had shown no symptoms. She considered herself one of the healthiest people until shocking test results came in. The disease was discovered by chance during a routine blood test following the birth of her second daughter.
Immediately after giving birth, the journalist spent five weeks in the hospital, where she underwent a bone marrow transplant from her sister. However, despite the doctors’ best efforts, the cancer returned. A subsequent course of chemotherapy brought no results, and doctors gave her a grim prognosis: she has no more than a year to live.
Tatiana Schlossberg received an excellent education at the prestigious Yale and Oxford universities. She built a successful career, working for publications such as The New York Times, and authored several books on science and ecology. In 2017, she married Dr. George Moran. The wedding took place at the Kennedy family estate on Martha’s Vineyard. The couple has two children.
Now, according to the writer herself, she intends to focus on making the most of the time she has left with her family. In her column, she also found the strength to criticize her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine views, whom Donald Trump appointed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. She regretfully noted that, from her hospital bed, she witnessed her relative being confirmed for this position—despite having no experience in medicine, public health, or government—defying all logic.
Schlossberg’s fatal diagnosis at such a young age is just the latest link in a long chain of tragedies haunting the family often referred to as America’s ‘royal dynasty.’ For decades, they have been plagued by assassinations, overdoses, tragic accidents, and high-profile scandals, fueling rumors of the ‘Kennedy curse.’
The most infamous tragedy for the family was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Five years later, in 1968, his younger brother Robert was also shot and killed. The misfortunes continued with the next generation: in 1999, the late president’s son, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in a private plane crash. Drugs have also taken a heavy toll on the family, claiming the lives of several members due to overdoses. Most recently, in 2020, Robert Kennedy’s granddaughter, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, and her young son drowned during a canoe trip.
The Kennedy clan is, in fact, one of the most famous and influential families in United States history. Their story is a saga of extraordinary ambition, political triumphs, and devastating tragedies. The dynasty’s founders are considered to be Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, descendants of Irish immigrants. They raised nine children, instilling in them a drive for public service and power. The pinnacle of their political influence came with the presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, whose tenure is associated with the “New Frontier” program and the tense standoff of the Cuban Missile Crisis. His brother, Robert Kennedy, served as Attorney General and was one of the president’s closest advisers. Another brother, Edward “Ted” Kennedy, was a powerful senator for decades. Despite a string of misfortunes often dubbed the “curse,” the Kennedy family still holds sway in American politics and public life. Their story continues to attract intense interest, symbolizing both the American dream and its fragility. New generations of the Kennedys carry on in politics, law, and public service, and are active in charitable foundations. Thus, the legacy of the clan endures.
