Senator Edward Kennedy Dies at 77

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy died Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. Kennedy -- the brother of President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who were both killed by assassins – had been suffering from a brain tumor first diagnosed in 2008. He was 77.

Kennedy’s family released a statement saying, “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever…He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it.”

Kennedy, known as Ted, first ran for the U.S. senate in 1962 after older brother John won the presidency and brother Robert was appointed Attorney General. He was re-elected in 1964, 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, and 2000. Kennedy was the Senate’s second-longest serving member, which earned him the nickname The Liberal Lion.

In 1964, Kennedy was hospitalized after being seriously injured in a plane crash. John was assassinated in 1963 and Robert was killed in 1968. In 1969, he drove a car off a bridge into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha’s Vineyard. Kennedy escaped but his young passenger, campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned. Kennedy pleaded guilty to abandoning the scene of an accident and received a suspended jail sentence of 2 months. Although the relationship between Kennedy and Kopechne has remained a rumor, the scandal killed Kennedy’s hope of winning the presidency, for which he campaigned in 1980.  

Kennedy’s first marriage to TV model Virginia Joan Bennett ended in 1982. They have 3 children. In 1992, he was married to Victoria Anne Reggie, an attorney.

Besides Reggie and his children, Kennedy is survived by 5 grandchildren. His sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, died August 11, making their sister Jean Kennedy Smith, 81, the sole surviving member of that generation of Kennedys.

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