The release of Ryan Murphy’s Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette has once again brought the spotlight on America’s unofficial prince and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. However, there was one more lesser-known figure who lost her life in the incident, Lauren Bessette, Carolyn’s older sister. Although the fame of the Kennedys overshadowed the tragedy, Lauren died along with them as the flight crashed in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16, 1999, leaving a lasting mark on the country’s history.
Who was Lauren Bessette?
Lauren Bessette was far more than just Carolyn Bessette’s sister and a lesser-known victim of the tragedy. She and her twin sister, Lisa, were born on November 5, 1964, in White Plains, New York. Lauren grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, alongside her twin sister, Lisa, and her younger sister, Carolyn. She was a bright kid whose academic excellence led her to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she majored in economics. According to The Observer, her professors remembered her as a fearless student who stood out in a male-dominated academic environment.