Was Joan Kennedy sober at the time of her death? Exploring aftermath of 2005 incident where she was found unconscious

Late Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s first wife, Joan Kennedy, died at her home in Boston on October 8, 2025. She was 89. The death was announced to CNN by Steve Kerrigan, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and a spokesperson for her son, Patrick J. Kennedy. The official cause of death was not revealed.

Joan Bennett Kennedy was a socialite, author, model, classically trained pianist, and mental health advocate who also worked to raise awareness about addiction. Although she battled alcoholism and depression for many years, she remained sober at the time of her death. In March 2005, 68-year-old Joan was found lying unconscious on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, by a passerby.

CBS News reported that the details of what happened to her were never officially released, and there was no police report on the incident. However, Joan Kennedy was hospitalized with a concussion and a broken shoulder.

Exploring further Joan Kennedy’s 2005 Boston incident

On a rainy night in March 2005, a good Samaritan found a disoriented woman lying alone on the Beacon Hill sidewalk in Boston. She was later identified as Joan Kennedy, who appeared to have suffered injuries from a drunken fall.

The mother of three was subsequently taken to Tufts New England Medical Center around 3 am that night, according to her son, Patrick J. Kennedy. At the time, the Democratic Representative of Rhode Island told the Boston Herald:

"We're indebted to some anonymous pedestrian who found her and picked her up and got her help."

The anonymous woman who called the police and the ambulance told Boston Magazine that she had “no idea” who she found on the road or that it was “anything special.”

Meanwhile, now-late Senator Ted Kennedy Sr. stated:

"It's been a long, difficult, very hard struggle. I think people whose lives have been touched by (alcoholism) can understand… This has been a sad time. We're hoping for the best."

He also expressed pride in their three children, Kara Kennedy Allen, Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., and Patrick J. Kennedy, for their loyalty and support for their mother. Notably, the three siblings temporarily took guardianship of Joan Kennedy around the same time as she grappled with her alcohol addiction. Patrick also sought to become her permanent legal guardian.

"I would... like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for my mother. My family means everything to me, and I would appreciate you respecting my family's privacy at this time," Patrick stated, while confirming not to run for Senate in 2006.

Their mother previously spent time in rehab after frequent arrests for DUI, starting in 1974, and continuing till 2000. Before that, her alcoholism peaked in the aftermath of the 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal, when her husband drove his car off a bridge, killing the passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Later, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident.

Notably, Joan Kennedy and Ted Kennedy Sr. exchanged wedding vows in 1958 and separated two decades later. Their divorce was finalized in 1982. At the time of her 2005 Boston incident, Joan was working as an advocate for mental health, cancer research, and supporting a Boston-based homeless shelter called Pine Street Inn. She was also involved with Children’s Hospital.

When her ex-husband died from a brain tumor in August 2009, she attended his memorial. At the time, Joan’s sister, Candace McMurrey, shared with ABC News that the former Mrs. Kennedy had been sober since attending rehab in 2005 and was doing “great.”

It was also reported that Ted Kennedy Jr. was given a court-ordered guardianship of his mother. Meanwhile, another unnamed family member told the publication that Joan Kennedy was a “private person” who was “victimized by the press” for never leaving her alone.

While she was put on house arrest immediately after the Boston incident and subsequent guardianship by her son, Joan Kennedy was later reported to be doing “pretty well,” and her health was declared as “reasonably good.”

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According to ABC News, Joan’s parents, Virginia Joan Stead Bennett and Henry Wiggin Bennett Jr., also struggled with alcohol addiction. Meanwhile, she married into the Kennedy family, whose members had a history of substance abuse. For example, her own sons, Ted Jr. and Patrick, faced issues with alcohol and cocaine use in 1991, respectively.

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