Late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s Ex-Wife Joan Bennett Kennedy—the ‘Last Survivor of Camelot’—Dies at 89 Inside Longtime Boston Home

Late Sen. Ted Kennedy's former spouse, Joan Bennett Kennedy, has died at the age of 89 inside her Boston home—more than four decades after ending her embittered marriage to the political scion.

According to an online obituary, Joan, who shared three children with her ex-husband, "passed away peacefully in her sleep" on Oct. 8.

"She is survived by two children, Ted Kennedy, Jr., and former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI), nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, over 30 nieces and nephews, and a sister, Candace (Candy) McMurrey, of Houston, TX. Her daughter, Kara, died in 2011," the obituary notes.

Both Patrick and Ted Jr. paid touching tribute to their late mother in statements, with the former describing her as a "loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to [his] father."

"Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful example to millions of people with mental health conditions," Patrick said in his mother's obituary.

"She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives that she touched."

Ted echoed his brother's sentiments in his own statement, which read: "I will always admire my mother for the way that she faced up to her challenges with grace, courage, humility, and honesty. She taught me how to be more truthful with myself and how careful listening is a more powerful communication skill than public speaking."

Joan, who was a talented pianist, was perhaps best known for being one of the so-called "women of Camelot," alongside Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Ethel Kennedy, who all married into the American dynasty amid a time of great political triumph and devastating tragedy.

Their stories served as the basis for the 2012 New York Times bestselling book, "Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Woman of Camelot," by J. Randy Taraborrelli—which examined the relationship shared among the three women, during the Camelot years and beyond" as they navigated "their husbands' infidelities ... many political campaigns ... and the family's legacy."

Joan became a member of the Kennedy clan in 1958, going on to become the youngest wife of the youngest U.S. Senator after her husband was elected to the position in 1962 when he was 30 and she was just 25.

As a naturally shy and reserved individual, Joan is understood to have struggled with the boisterous Kennedy family—who regularly gathered for large family parties at their iconic Hyannis Port compound.

She once revealed to People that she had sought comfort and advice from Jackie, the wife of former President John F. Kennedy, who urged her to turn to the piano when she needed alone time.

That talent would ultimately prove to become a political weapon, with Joan regularly showcasing her piano skills at political rallies, according to her obituary.

"Playing the piano instantly became her trademark while campaigning with the Kennedys, where she would frequently open political rallies and warm up the crowd with her piano serenades," it notes.

During their relationship, Joan and Ted welcomed three children: Kara, Ted Jr., and Patrick.

In 2002, tragedy struck when Kara was diagnosed with lung cancer—and she later died of a heart attack in 2011.

Indeed, Joan and Ted's 24-year marriage weathered many storms, including multiple infidelity allegations against Ted—who was also involved in a devastating 1968 car accident in which he drove his vehicle off a bridge in Chappaquiddick, resulting in the death of his passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne.

Ted later pled guilty to leaving the scene of the accident, having made multiple attempts to rescue Kopechne, before swimming to safety. He did not report the incident to authorities until the following morning, by which point her body had already been found.

He vehemently denied driving under the influence and insisted that there was nothing romantic about his relationship with Kopechne, although he conceded: "I regard as indefensible the fact that I did not report the accident to the police immediately."

While Ted did not resign his position as senator in the wake of the accident, many believed that the incident all but ruined his chances of running for president, which is said to have been his great ambition.

Still, his political career—while not ascending to the lofty heights of a White House victory—carried on in the face of adversity, which included several headlines about his heavy drinking, as well as continued coverage of the Chappaquiddick accident.

Meanwhile, Joan faced her own struggles with alcohol, revealing to People in 1978 that she had gone through a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program while admitting that her sobriety was an everyday struggle.

"Staying sober is difficult," she confessed. "But I'm sober today, and that's all that matters. I'm working on my recovery a day at a time."

In her obituary, Joan is hailed for being "one of the first prominent women in America to publicly acknowledge her struggles with alcoholism and depression, a move that she felt was essential to breaking the silence and tackling the taboo of addiction in the 1970s."

"Her honesty and candor, and her ability to successfully recreate her life in Boston, a community that supported her privacy and embraced her recovery, made her an inspiration to countless other women facing similar challenges," it adds.

Joan's candid confession about her sobriety struggles came one year after she and Ted officially separated—although their divorce was not finalized until 1982.

Following their divorce, Joan relocated from Washington, DC, to Boston, where she attempted to reclaim some semblance of a private life away from prying eyes—completing a master's degree in musical education while turning to teaching.

Joan spent many of the last years of her life living in a four-bedroom, three-bathroom condo in Back Bay East, which was described as offering "captivating views of the Charles River."