The Ex-Wife of Senator Ted Kennedy, Joan Kennedy, Had an Impressive Net Worth

The world is mourning the loss of Joan Kennedy, who died on Oct. 8, 2025, at the age of 89, per the Associated Press. The prominent Kennedy family member was the first wife of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), and the mother to their children: Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick Kennedy.

Joan's maiden name was Bennett, and she was a classically trained pianist when she married Edward "Ted" Kennedy back in 1958. She was one of the last members of the Camelot generation of the Kennedys, a phrase used to describe John F. Kennedy's presidency in the 1960s. JFK was assassinated in 1963. As fans mourn her loss, they are also curious about Joan Kennedy's net worth.

Joan Kennedy reportedly had a net worth of approximately $20 million, per Blinging Bleach. She had a master's degree in education from Lesley University, and she married Ted Kennedy when she was just 22 on Nov. 29, 1958, in Bronxville, New York. The two met in 1957 when Ted's sister, Jean, introduced the young college students. Jean attended Manhattanville College with Joan, per People. They later had three children — Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick.

The senator's wife suffered greatly from her husband's numerous infidelities, and she talked openly about her struggles with alcoholism and mental health. One of Ted's affairs became public knowledge in 1969 after he and a young woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, had a car accident on Massachusetts' Chappaquiddick Island. Ted was driving when the car drove off a bridge and into the water. He left the scene of the crime, and Mary Jo died in the crash.

A scandal erupted after the public learned that the two had been at a party on Martha's Vineyard, and all the men at the party were married, and all of the women were young, unmarried females, per People. Joan had a miscarriage shortly after, and she separated from Ted in 1978, with their divorce being finalized in 1983.

Joan reportedly died in her home in Boston, Mass., at the age of 89. No cause of death has been shared with the public, but it was reported that she died peacefully in her sleep.

She told People magazine in the 1970s that she began drinking to cope.

"At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties," she said. "Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrows."

Joan said joining Alcoholics Anonymous helped her get sober. "Staying sober is difficult," she told the utlet in 1979. "But I'm sober today, and that's all that matters. I'm working on my recovery a day at a time."

Joan's daughter, Kara, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002 and died in 2011 from a heart attack.

Journalist Maria Shirver, Joan's aunt, shared a tribute to her on Instagram upon her death.

It read in part, "She was an accomplished pianist, an arts advocate, and a beautiful soul. She valiantly shared her struggle with addiction so that others could share theirs. She courageously shared what it was like to lose a child, get divorced from a famous man, and carry on. Her life was challenging, but she persevered."