David A. Kennedy

David Anthony Kennedy was born on June 15, 1955, in Washington, D.C., United States. His father was Robert F. Kennedy, and his mother was Ethel Skakel. He was the fourth child among the children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel.

In 1955, David was born in Washington, D.C. On June 4, 1968, eleven days before his 13th birthday, he nearly drowned while swimming with his siblings off the coast of Malibu, California. This incident occurred at a beach near the home of film director John Frankenheimer, who was affiliated with the Kennedy family. He was carried away by the current and almost sank, but was rescued by his father, Robert. During the rescue, Robert sustained a bruise and later appeared on television with makeup applied. The day after the incident, he watched on TV as Robert declared victory in the California primary election before being assassinated. This event profoundly affected him mentally, and subsequently he began abusing drugs.

In August 1973, David was involved in a Jeep accident on Nantucket Island driven by his brother Joseph P. Kennedy II, during which he fractured a vertebra. His riding partner, Pamela Kelley, was paralyzed from the waist down and forced to live in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Joseph was prosecuted for reckless driving related to the accident.

Regarding his education, he studied American history at Harvard University but dropped out in 1976. During his student years, he showed an interest in journalism and interned for several months at a newspaper in Tennessee in 1974. Also in 1974, the Kennedy brothers were threatened with kidnapping and became under Secret Service protection.

After dropping out of Harvard, Kennedy's base of residence was in Hickory Hill, McLean, Virginia, and later in New York City. From February 1979 onward, he settled in New York City, and was spotted with many women in Manhattan nightclubs, including the British actress Rachel Ward. According to his cousin Christopher Kennedy Lawford’s memoir, "Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption," he and Lawford were close friends.

In 1980, he was arrested for drunk driving and driving without a license, and was fined $380 for the DUI.

In the spring of 1984, Kennedy spent about a month recovering at St. Mary's Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis. On April 19, he flew to Florida’s Palm Beach for Easter vacation to reunite with family. He stayed in Room 107 at the Brasilia Court Hotel and hosted parties over the following days.

Details of his death were confirmed on April 25, 1984. Kennedy was reported to have died from an overdose of cocaine, Demerol, and Meralyl. He was buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, on April 27 of the following week.