Latest news with #PiperSaratoga
Sydney Morning Herald
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Tragedy hit America's ‘royal couple' in 1999. Now the tale's heading to TV
Twenty-six years ago last month, on a hazy summer night, a Piper Saratoga plane spiralled into the Atlantic Ocean just off Martha's Vineyard, killing all three people on board: its pilot John F. Kennedy Jr, his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister, Lauren Bessette. Within hours, then-US president Bill Clinton ordered US Navy warships to comb the area in search of wreckage, telling bristling taxpayers that the Kennedys had 'suffered much and given more'. The bodies, still strapped into their seats, were recovered five days later. It was the final chapter in a tragic family history, the early, sudden deaths enshrining the mystique of 'John-John', 38, and Carolyn, 33, in legend. He was, of course, the handsome, adored, only surviving son of a young assassinated president and his elegant wife, Jacqueline; she was the shiny-haired fashion publicist whose cool blonde beauty and distinctive look – distinctive but anonymous (she would ask for the Prada labels to be stripped from her ski-suits) – captivated style-watchers. They were the closest thing the US had to royalty; the prince and princess of Manhattan. When they married quietly in September 1996, inside a small candlelit church on Georgia's Cumberland Island with only 40 guests in attendance, her simple white slip dress spawned millions of imitations and put the name of its designer, Narciso Rodriguez, on the fashion map. Interest in the couple is reigniting with the news that mega-producer Ryan Murphy has started filming the first instalment of his new TV series, American Love Story, which will bring the Bessette-Kennedy romance to the small screen for the first time. Relative unknown Paul Kelly reportedly beat 1000 hopefuls to win the role of JFK Jr, while Sarah Pidgeon, familiar to audiences of Prime Video's The Wilds, will be Carolyn. Naomi Watts, no stranger to Murphy's TV projects, has signed on to play Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. (Interestingly, Carolyn never met her mother-in-law, who died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 64.) But early stills posted by Murphy to social media in June of his two young leads in character drew sharp criticism from the dark lords of New York style. Carolyn's hair was 'too 2024', said Brad Johns, who had perfected her 'child of the beach' hue in the '90s, while The Cut 's Danya Issawi pointed to 'fast-fashion knock-offs of her high-designer style'. 'Sorry, but the wardrobe is wrong,' agreed Moda Operandi founder Lauren Santo Domingo. And what was with the No. 35 Birkin? She only ever carried a No. 40. Loading Murphy had to tell everyone to just cool it. The shots were only camera tests for lighting and colour that he'd been forced to post to beat salivating paparazzi to the punch. More short videos, to be released as filming got properly under way in the northern autumn, would amply demonstrate costume designer Lou Eyrich's attention to detail. A 10-person style advisory board had already been confirmed. At the time of the couple's death, rumours of a fairytale starting to fray at the edges had begun to circulate. Was JFK Jr, still only a rookie pilot, distracted the night that he succumbed to spatial disorientation while trying to land the aircraft? The Piper Saratoga was close to its destination, but it was dark and visibility was poor.
The Age
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Tragedy hit America's ‘royal couple' in 1999. Now the tale's heading to TV
Twenty-six years ago last month, on a hazy summer night, a Piper Saratoga plane spiralled into the Atlantic Ocean just off Martha's Vineyard, killing all three people on board: its pilot John F. Kennedy Jr, his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and her older sister, Lauren Bessette. Within hours, then-US president Bill Clinton ordered US Navy warships to comb the area in search of wreckage, telling bristling taxpayers that the Kennedys had 'suffered much and given more'. The bodies, still strapped into their seats, were recovered five days later. It was the final chapter in a tragic family history, the early, sudden deaths enshrining the mystique of 'John-John', 38, and Carolyn, 33, in legend. He was, of course, the handsome, adored, only surviving son of a young assassinated president and his elegant wife, Jacqueline; she was the shiny-haired fashion publicist whose cool blonde beauty and distinctive look – distinctive but anonymous (she would ask for the Prada labels to be stripped from her ski-suits) – captivated style-watchers. They were the closest thing the US had to royalty; the prince and princess of Manhattan. When they married quietly in September 1996, inside a small candlelit church on Georgia's Cumberland Island with only 40 guests in attendance, her simple white slip dress spawned millions of imitations and put the name of its designer, Narciso Rodriguez, on the fashion map. Interest in the couple is reigniting with the news that mega-producer Ryan Murphy has started filming the first instalment of his new TV series, American Love Story, which will bring the Bessette-Kennedy romance to the small screen for the first time. Relative unknown Paul Kelly reportedly beat 1000 hopefuls to win the role of JFK Jr, while Sarah Pidgeon, familiar to audiences of Prime Video's The Wilds, will be Carolyn. Naomi Watts, no stranger to Murphy's TV projects, has signed on to play Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. (Interestingly, Carolyn never met her mother-in-law, who died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 64.) But early stills posted by Murphy to social media in June of his two young leads in character drew sharp criticism from the dark lords of New York style. Carolyn's hair was 'too 2024', said Brad Johns, who had perfected her 'child of the beach' hue in the '90s, while The Cut 's Danya Issawi pointed to 'fast-fashion knock-offs of her high-designer style'. 'Sorry, but the wardrobe is wrong,' agreed Moda Operandi founder Lauren Santo Domingo. And what was with the No. 35 Birkin? She only ever carried a No. 40. Loading Murphy had to tell everyone to just cool it. The shots were only camera tests for lighting and colour that he'd been forced to post to beat salivating paparazzi to the punch. More short videos, to be released as filming got properly under way in the northern autumn, would amply demonstrate costume designer Lou Eyrich's attention to detail. A 10-person style advisory board had already been confirmed. At the time of the couple's death, rumours of a fairytale starting to fray at the edges had begun to circulate. Was JFK Jr, still only a rookie pilot, distracted the night that he succumbed to spatial disorientation while trying to land the aircraft? The Piper Saratoga was close to its destination, but it was dark and visibility was poor.
News.com.au
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Unknown actor is spitting image of JFK Jr. in show
A relatively-unknown actor set to portray John F. Kennedy Jr in a new TV series is the spitting image of the late American icon in new photos from set. Paul Kelly, who has signed on to star in Ryan Murphy's upcoming American Love Story series, could be seen shirtless filming scenes in New York this week. The Hollywood newcomer, who has limited experience in theatre and modelling, was said to have beaten out thousands of actors to score the role of the '90s heart-throb, and photos of him in character certainly show why. American Love Story will chronicle the whirlwind romance and 'It couple' evolution of JFK Jr. — the son of former US President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy — and his fashion publicist wife Carolyn Bessette (played by Sarah Pidgeon). Australian actress Naomi Watts is set to star as Jackie Kennedy in the show, while Grace Gummer will play Caroline Kennedy. In real life, JKF Jr. met Bessette in 1992 when she was hired to give him a clothing fitting on behalf of designer Calvin Klein. Their union generated widespread media attention, much to the discomfort of Bessette, who struggled with accusations she was exploiting the relationship for fame. Kennedy and Bessette secretly married in Georgia in 1996. Upon their return to Manhattan from their honeymoon, the couple were met with a swarm of the world's press at their apartment. 'Getting married is a big adjustment for us, and for a private citizen like Carolyn even more so,' Kennedy told the pack of reporters. 'I ask you to give her all the privacy and room you can.' Three years later, Kennedy, then 38, and Bessette, 33, tragically died in a plane crash alongside Bessette's sister Lauren, 34, in July 1999. Kennedy, who was flying his Piper Saratoga aircraft after receiving his license the previous year, had departed from New Jersey en route to Massachusetts for the wedding of his cousin, Rory Kennedy. The couple intended to drop Lauren off at Martha's Vineyard as their first stop, and while Kennedy checked in with the nearby control tower, the plane was reported missing after failing to arrive on schedule. It triggered a frantic search party, with debris soon recovered from the Atlantic Ocean. Navy divers recovered three bodies from the ocean floor 'near and under' the wreckage, according to a statement issued by Admiral Richard M. Larrabee of the Coast Guard at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board ultimately determined that pilot error was the probable cause of the crash. An autopsy determined the victims died upon impact. Kennedy Jr. was just three years old when his father, the 35th US president, was assassinated in 1963.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
37 Rare Photos Depicting Life Inside the Kennedy Compound, Through the Camelot Years and Beyond
The Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, is one of the most storied family properties in American history. This sprawling six-acre waterfront estate, with three white-clapboard houses, has been the backdrop for nearly a century of Kennedy family history. Born from an unexpected snub at an exclusive country club, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.'s purchase of the Malcolm Cottage in 1928 laid the foundation for what would become a legendary family retreat. Over the years, the compound expanded to include the 'Big House,' a 21-room mansion meticulously decorated by Rose Kennedy, and two additional properties acquired by John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy in the 1950s. This haven has witnessed the family's triumphs and tragedies, from JFK's presidency to intimate family gatherings following the loss of loved ones. Most notably, the compound became a refuge of grief and healing after President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas in November of 1963, when the family retreated to Hyannis Port to mourn and find comfort in each other's presence. The compound holds particular poignancy this week with the 26th anniversary of the tragic deaths of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy on July 16, 1999, in a plane crash off Martha's Vineyard. They were flying to attend his cousin Rory Kennedy's wedding at the compound when the single-engine Piper Saratoga disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean, claiming the lives of JFK Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren Bessette. The family gathered at Hyannis Port in the aftermath, as they had in the aftermath of JFK's death. Read on to see rare photos of the family at home, from their earliest days right through the Camelot years and beyond.1947 John F. Kennedy at his home in Hyannis Port with his dog after winning the nomination for congressman from Massachusetts. Look at that smile!1948 Three of the Kennedy brothers, John, Robert, and Edward (Ted), at the Kennedy Family Compound.1948 John F. Kennedy, Jean Ann Smith, Rose Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy Sr., Patricia Lawford, Robert F. Kennedy, Eunice Mary Shriver, and Edward Kennedy on Thanksgiving at the Kennedy Family Compound. Twenty years earlier, Joseph and Rose began remodeling the cottage, beginning the transformation into the compound we know today.1953 Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier stroll across the lawn of his family's home after announcing their engagement.1953 Jackie playing baseball with Edward and John at the compound, where games were commonly held on the lawn.1953 Eunice Kennedy and Jean Kennedy together on the grass at the family compound.1953 When this stunning photo was taken, John was still a senator, and he and Jackie were only engaged. We are loving the beachy, carefree vibes of 1953!1953 Jackie and JFK preparing for an interview together inside one of the estate's light-filled living rooms.1953 We're never getting over this one. JFK and Jackie run toward the compound after spending the day on the beach, and it's oh-so-magical.1953 Senator John F. Kennedy and Jackie are interviewed for a Life magazine story at the Kennedy Compound. Currently swooning over that floral chair!1953 Summers in Hyannis Port were a much-needed respite for the Kennedys. JFK is photographed here playing baseball with his soon-t0-be wife.1953 An adorable JFK and Jackie enjoying each other's company on the shore of the Kennedy Compound.1953 A barefoot JFK and Jackie chat with Eunice and Patricia Kennedy driving up the entryway of the Kennedy Compound.1953 Jean, Jacqueline, and Eunice Kennedy sitting on the lawn of the family compound. Jackie and Jean were especially close.1953 A gorgeous Jackie sitting on the ledge of the porch at the compound, while her fiancé at the time plays football on the lawn.1953 Eunice, Jacqueline, Jean, and Patricia Kennedy with John and Teddy sailing in the waters near the compound.1953 John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier sit together in the sunshine at the family home a few months before their wedding.1960 Jacqueline Kennedy and JFK, still a senator at the time, are seen here reading a story to their daughter, Caroline, outside of the Hyannis Port home.1960 John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline with their daughter, Caroline, on Election Day in 1960. The next day, Kennedy was declared the winner and became the president-elect.1961 This isn't your average White House meeting—this one has floral decor and cozy vibes! Here, President Kennedy meets with some of his top advisers to discuss military spending. The chief executive also discussed civil defense and foreign trade with officials who flew from Washington to Cape Cod to meet with the president at the family compound.1963 The first family on the patio of their home with their pets, lounging on outdoor furniture. JFK's favorite dog was Charlie, a Welsh terrier gifted to him by his wife during his presidential campaign.1964 A young Caroline Kennedy in the yard at the Kennedy Compound.1972 How sweet! Senator Edward M. Kennedy and his mother, Rose, at the Kennedy Compound. (The sunglasses are everything.)1973 This look! Caroline Kennedy, Jackie (now Onassis), and Ted Kennedy during Caroline's graduation party at the compound.1980 Even in the '80s, the Kennedy family still gathered at the compound. Here, Eunice Shriver, Jacqueline Onassis, Kara Kennedy and her dad, Teddy (at the time a Democratic candidate for president), and Ethel Kennedy hanging out together.1980 Jackie, in an adorable jersey print peasant skirt, walking into the Kennedy Compound during a gathering of family members and friends.1980 Well, hello! John F. Kennedy Jr. near the Kennedy Compound pier during Labor Day weekend.1981 Kerry Kennedy and David Kennedy during the RFK Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament. The tournament featured tennis stars, Hollywood celebrities, and members of the Kennedy family.1981 Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her daughter, Maria Shriver, attending the annual RFK Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament at the compound.1981 How cute is this?! Courtney Kennedy and niece Meaghan Anne Kennedy Townsend at the RFK tennis tournament.1981 Another dog lover! Courtney Kennedy is seen petting this good boy at the family compound.1981 Maria Shriver and the actress Susan Saint James laughing together during the RFK Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament. The tournament was an annual event that raised money for underprivileged children while also providing a chance for celebrities to mingle.1989 Ted Kennedy greets friends before a boat ride around Hyannis Port Harbor during a clambake at the Kennedy Compound.1991 Ethel Kennedy, John Dougherty, and Bob Duffy rowing in Hyannis Port Harbor during a picnic held at the Kennedy Compound.1995 JFK, Jr. with his dog, walks along the beach in front of the Kennedy compound.1999 John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy arrive at a dinner in Martha's Vineyard.1999 Members of the Kennedy family, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Mary Richardson Kennedy, gather in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts to await news after the disappearance of John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette. You Might Also Like From the Archive: Tour Sarah Jessica Parker's Relaxed Hamptons Retreat 75 Small (But Mighty) Kitchens to Steal Inspiration from Right This Instant Solve the daily Crossword
