Joan Kennedy’s Death Certificate Offers New Insight into Her Final Years

Joan Bennett Kennedy, the first wife of Sen. Ted Kennedy, died “peacefully in her sleep” on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 89 years old, according to a family obituary.

A death certificate obtained by PEOPLE on Oct. 10 offers insight into her final years, revealing her immediate cause of death as dementia. The certificate notes that it’s unclear how long she was experiencing the condition, which had not previously been disclosed to the public.

The certificate also attributes alcoholism “in remission” — a condition that she opened up to PEOPLE about on multiple occasions — as a contributing factor in her death, which is described as natural.

Joan’s life was marked by perseverance in the face of tragedy. After marrying Ted at only 22 years old, the couple had three children: Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.

Kara, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002, died from a heart attack in 2011. Ted Jr., an attorney and former member of the Connecticut state Senate, developed bone cancer at age 12 and had part of his right leg removed. Patrick served as a Rhode Island congressman for 16 years and is a mental health advocate.

Ted had a history of infidelity throughout his marriage to Joan. There was also the scandal of Chappaquiddick in July 1969, when Ted’s car went off a bridge at Chappaquiddick Island, Mass., killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped in the car.

Joan attended Kopechne’s funeral alongside Ted, and three days later she was again at his side when he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

Following the accident, the family was subject to frequent press regarding Ted’s affairs.

Joan later admitted that she began drinking heavily to get through the numerous challenges and tragedies in her life. “At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties,” she told PEOPLE in 1978. “Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrows.”

Joan embraced the twelve step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and was candid about her struggles. “Staying sober is difficult,” Joan told PEOPLE in 1979 while sipping a diet ginger ale. “But I’m sober today, and that’s all that matters. I’m working on my recovery a day at a time.”

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Joan moved to Boston alone in the late 1970s to study for a master’s in education at Lesley College, telling PEOPLE at the time, “I know I won’t become a fourth-grade teacher, but I want the credibility that little piece of paper will give me. Once I have that I won’t just be Joan Kennedy. That’s important for a lot of women my age. People listen to you if you went to grad school.”

Her graduate degree earned a mention on her death certificate, which described her as a self-employed author.

She and Ted separated in 1978 but they did not divorce until after his failed 1980 presidential campaign. They announced plans to divorce in 1981 and the decision was finalized in 1983. She never remarried.

In later years, her struggle to stay sober often made headlines and included highly publicized drunk driving incidents. After being appointed a guardian when her alcoholism came to a head in the early 2000s, Joan lived a quiet life in Boston and stayed relatively out of the public eye.