In 1985, two years after Bobby had been busted for heroin possession and become sober, Mary was in a hospital to get treatment for anorexia, which she had suffered from at least since her Putney days. Death. She was 76 years old. Mary was not attracted to the rawness nor to his drug habit. On Monday, seven years later, Robert delivered another eulogy this one at Saoirses funeral service before her private burial. Mary was still being hammered pretty hard, recalls an adviser, but [except for an Easter setback], she was sober. An autopsy revealed today, May 17, that Mary died of asphyxiation due to hanging, CNN reports. "Her features would change with her jaw set forward, her face paled, her eyes notably darkened, her voice alternatively breathy or hard. The autopsy revealed that there were at least three antidepressants in her blood when she died. Unless there was a crisis, she never had anything to do with the Richardsons. A friend recalls asking then Brown Universitybound Kerry and Mary where they saw themselves in 25 years: Kerry [said], With a couple kids in a house in a city, while Mary, in her dreamy way, goes: That sounds really nice. Back at the house, while Kennedy scoured the woods, White and the caretaker headed toward the barn, which had already been checked twice. The following day a friend found the stylish but troubled . "But everything seemed great with Mary, and I didn't think anything about it.". The other was that she was an abandoned waif who had been mistreated. Though Richardson was raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, where her fatherwho died when Mary was 12was a professor at Hobokens Stevens Institute of Technology and her mother, a public-school English teacher, she told people, including her husband, that shed grown up in Vermont and Princeton, inferring that her father taught at the elite university in New Jersey. Perhaps Mary Richardson Kennedy was, and had been for some time, a desperately sick woman. Mary Kennedy, from whom Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed divorce in 2010, is dead, said an employee of the Westchester County, New York, medical examiner's office. As one of the most prominent members of his family, Kennedy Jr. has attracted controversy in recent years over his public position against vaccination a view some of his relatives criticized last year. Saoirse Kennedy Hills funeral on Monday. When Bobby arrived back at the house with his brother Chris and a close friend, the Richardsons asked him to leave what they said was not his house. [10], On May 16, 2012, Richardson was found dead at her home in Bedford, New York. If she wasnt the perfect wife and mother that she projected herself to be, then what was she?. Mary, too, was more serious than she once had been, working as an architect on her own environmentally conscious projects. Portraying Bobby as the alarmed family man, fleeing to protect himself and his children from their depressed, alcoholic, physically abusive, suicidal mother, the document infuriated Richardsons family, who publicly dismissed his vindictive lies, proof of the unbelievable emotional and psychological abuse that Mary endured during the last years of her life, and now in death., Equally upset, dozens of Richardsons closest confidantes have also spoken with The Daily Beast. Mary Kennedy's death still puzzles friends. In 1993 her hopes were realized when Robert Kennedy Jr., then separated from first wife, Emily Black, ran into Richardson at a New York art gallery. On June 17, 2011, he wrote an email to them saying, "Mary is a wonderful, generous, kind, and wise person but depression and illness are now killing her. "I drove over in a tow truck with my boat on the trailer in preparation for a planned trip to Cape Cod the following day. Pinterest. But I lived it. A few days before she died, a friend who had dinner with Mary and the kids said, She seems to be doing great. It feels great because you know you are going to be with the person you really like to be with for a very long time, Hines said after the wedding. In 1993 Bobby was still married to his wife of 10 years, Emily Black Kennedy, mother of Bobby III and Kathleen ("Kick"), but this homespun, Midwestern woman had had it with her husband's hyper-Kennedy life. He said he cried often during his marriage, but not from sadness or grief. Report: Paterno, others hid Sandusky sexual abuse, Prosecutor releases another round of Zimmerman evidence, Caught on camera: Shark steals fish off pole, Guantanamo detainee who served bin Laden returns to Sudan. Bobby tried to protect himself from her punches and even once jumped out a second-story window to escape. Monday was no better, nor Tuesday, and the housekeeper had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. But it was frightening. Everything he does is evil and a fraud. Mary Richardson Kennedy(October 4, 1959 - May 16, 2012) was an American interior designer, architect, and philanthropist.She died at her home after she committed suicide by hanging herself on May 16, 2012.She was married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 15, 1994. Chelsea Table + Stage - New York's newest hotspot for intimate dining and extraordinary music - will present Amy Spanger, the acclaimed Broadway, television and film actress, in a special concert "Amy Spanger and Friends" on Monday, March 13 at 7:00 PM. And that day, she was drinking a lot. Of the grandchildren of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, the offspring of Robert Sr. and Ethel Skakel Kennedy had been the most troubled. Mary hung on to the positive moment hoping to get another. "Mary talked about going to therapy a lot with Bobby and talking about all his affairs," says one of Mary's friends. August 5, 2019, 8:35 PM. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Moreover, she was now living alone in a big, empty house. But nothing got better. During the bad episodes, recalls a close friend, Mary always talked about suicide.. One was that she was a horrible person who nobody wanted. [14] Her funeral, organized by the Kennedy family, was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Bedford, New York. Saoirse Kennedy Hill, granddaughter of assassinated Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the only child of Courtney Kennedy Hill, was buried Monday afternoon next to her aunt Mary Richardson Kennedy the second wife of Saoirses uncle Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who killed herself in May 2012. ', Cheryl Hines Reflects on 2006 Emmys Dress Drama: 'I Was on the Worst and Best Dressed List', John Stamos and Wife Caitlin Celebrate 5th Wedding Anniversary: 'What a Beautiful Life We Have Together', Al Roker and Deborah Roberts' Relationship Timeline, Barack Obama Wishes Wife Michelle a Happy Birthday: 'You Make Every Day Brighter', Michelle Obama Shares Sweet Kiss with Husband Barack Under the Mistletoe in Festive Christmas Photo, Suzanne Somers Shares Cuddly Now-and-Then Photo with Husband Alan Hamel: 'Still Smiling 55 Years Later', Mark Hamill Celebrates 44th Wedding Anniversary with Adorable Throwback Ceremony Picture, Hugh Jackman Shares Birthday Tribute to Wife Deborra-Lee Furness: 'Joy Lights Up All Around You', RFK Jr. Says Son Conor 'Talked His Way' onto Ukraine War Unit Despite Lacking Combat Experience, RFK Jr.'s Frustration Turned to Pride After Son Conor Explained Why He Secretly Fought in Ukraine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall's Relationship Timeline, Luke Bryan and His Wife Caroline Celebrate Their 'Sweet 16' Anniversary: 'It's Truly Remarkable'. Mary vowed that she would kill herself and before doing so tell the world what a monster he was. May 16, 2012 — -- Robert F. Kennedy's estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, has died at age 52, apparently committing suicide by hanging herself, multiple sources told ABC News. Rushing over, he checked the attic before tracking down Shannon White, Richardsons AA sponsor, at an 11 a.m., Armonk AA meeting. The caretaker oftentimes gets exhausted by the unrealistic expectations. We loved Mary and the notion that this trash was put out there, for her childrens friends and teachers to read, I could no longer hold back., The debate came to a head in the library of the Kennedys Bedford estate the night that Richardson died. Mary, who hung herself at 52 amid a deteriorating marriage with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., struggled with depression before her death. Mary sought the help of psychiatrists and therapists. For the first time, Kennedy fell wildly, romantically in love. Bobby and his surrogates were trying to persuade her that she was definitely going to lose the kids, and, unfortunately, she believed them over us.(Kennedys camp denies this. We were unaware of this, and we were not informed about it, Patricia Hennessey, the Richardson familys lawyer, told the Daily News. And I just looked at her. "She tried very hard, and part of it was going to therapy and talking about it. Accuses Mary Kennedy . "I called Mary's sisters, and they said, 'OK, we're going there,'" says the Colombian housekeeper, who spoke to me on the condition that her name not be used. I opened the door and she leapt out of her bed and hit me with a roundhouse punch that, had I not blocked it, would have undoubtedly broken my face. "Her suicide was both a statement of hopelessness about her prospects of staying married," says Dr. Gunderson, "and it was an . Heartsick, depressed, agonizingly lonely, she would disappear for days behind her locked bedroom doors. She is called a gifted architect and a "relentless advocate of green design". I dont know if hell find that chemistry again, he continues. Tying the perfect knot would have appealed to Marys extreme sense of order., The story of Mary Richardson Kennedy is a tale of two Marys, one told by those who lived with her, the other by those who did not, for whom she was the life of the party, says one of her closest friends, the first person on anyones list, at home in Studio 54 or a Honduran village, hugely curious, always reading books, writing diaries, keeping up with friends, organizing the next event. In April 1994, Bobby, 40, married six-months' pregnant Mary, 34, on the deck of the Riverkeeper's research boat, the Shannon. "Once, during dinner, Mary grabbed a plate of spaghetti and threw it all on Bobby in front of the children," says the housekeeper. Feb. 3, 2009: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, and wife Mary Richardson Kennedy arrive at the premiere of "The Pink Panther 2" at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. He has two children with his first wife, Emily Black, and four children with his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who committed suicide in May of 2012 at the age of 52. So she was stuck. By the second half of 2010, Richardson was in free fall. Mary Kennedy was the maid of honor at Kerry Kennedy's marriage to Andrew Cuomo and was her best friend, but the families have been estranged . As her marriage was falling apart, Richardson turned to alcohol. It wasn't only that she was gorgeous, but that she had an intellect to match, a nearly photographic memory, and a promising career as an architectural designer. Six weeks before her suicide, yoga instructor Breeckner visited Richardson in Bedford, where I found Mary, sitting alone in the dark, crying., In March, however, determined to get her children back, Richardson rallied, immersing herself in AA, attending meetings and revitalizing her yoga practice, more upbeat than she had been in months. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, and his children turn away after paying their respects at the casket of Mary Richardson Kennedy, in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Centerville, Mass., Saturday, May 19, 2012. Still, Richardsons sadness on Monday, says someone who spoke with her that day, was palpable. Even close friends of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a notorious cheater who had numerous affairs while with past wives Emily Black and Mary Richardson . [volume] (Milford, Del.) That sets the stage for their search for an idealized caretaker. She screamed at Aidan as she hit me. Almost every time Bobby drove her to the airport at the end of the weekend, she seemed to have lost something that created all kinds of unnecessary problems. He is a philanderer, an adulterer, a sex addict.' "Soon after Mary became pregnant with our first son, Mary, in a sudden rage about my continued friendship with [my ex-wife] Emily, hit me in the face with her fist. One local who knew her and her mother believes her death was accidental. She attended a session on May 10, and she had every reason to assume that when Abrams issued his report, he would recommend that Bobby be given full custody. She would say she was sorry and didn't know why she was acting this way. As Kennedy would report at her funeral, Richardson told him that everything was her fault and that she needed him to take care of her. Then Mary, according to someone familiar with the situation, offered a bizarre solution to the couples divorce/custody dilemma: offering that it was best for the kids, Richardson suggested that Kennedy, Hines, and she live together (harkening back to her girlhood wish of having a room in Kerrys house). She is suspected of overdosing, according to multiple news outlets, though her cause of death is pending a toxicology report. Her apparent suicide was widely seen as the latest tragedy to befall the political dynasty. Mary Richardson Kennedy was found hanging in the barn in the backyard of her Beford, N.Y. home on May 16. Compared with his wealthier relatives, Bobby and his siblings were paupers. From left: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines. Dressed always elegantly in black as she danced through the nightlife of the city, she intimidated most men. Bobby gently asked his daughter to be more responsible. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The last time anyone saw Mary Kennedy alive was a year ago Wednesday. He did not go to his daughter and ask what other difficulties she might be having with Mary, according to the affidavit. And then my sister said, 'What happened to you?' She said she intended to kill herself unless I called off the divorce and unless I promised to recommit to the marriage. As for Bobby, whenever a Kennedy had died during his lifetime, whether it was his brothers David and Michael or his cousin John Kennedy Jr., his lean face would turn gray with grief, but he never cried.