Details about John F. Kennedy Jr.‘s relationship with Carolyn Bessett have come to light in a new book. According to author Elizabeth Beller’s new book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the couple were experiencing issues in their marriage before they died together in a plane crash in 1999.
During an interview with Fox News published on Tuesday, July 16, Elizabeth noted, “Several sources corroborated that they were in marriage counseling.”
“I see it as a positive that they were taking meaningful steps to work on their issues. And I do believe things were getting better,” she added before explaining in more detail what was happening between John and Carolyn. “In 1999, there were ebbs and flows in their marriage. [Their pal] Carole Radziwill said they looked happy and in love. Many other friends said the same thing. But it was a very tense time for them. John’s best friend and cousin, Anthony Radziwill, was very ill [with cancer]. John and Carolyn were very concerned about him. And there was also all that outside pressure.”
Additionally, the biography author explained that it was “impossible for Carolyn, who had always been a hard worker, to continue working with the press hounding her at all times.”
“She was suddenly overwhelmed by the press scrutiny,” Elizabeth claimed while giving her opinion. “I think it was debilitating for her and I think it sent her into a depression. At this time, she was thinking about what else she could do.”
While Carolyn considered “making documentary films to represent the underserved,” she still “needed to see what John’s next step was going to be if he was going to run for office and follow in his family’s footsteps.”
“There was so much expectation because of his last name,” Elizabeth pointed out about Carolyn’s marriage. “John was figuring things out, and she had to figure things out, too.”
On July 16, 1999, John was flying a single-engine plane while traveling from New Jersey to Martha’a Vineyard with Carolyn and her sister, Lauren Bessette. All three of them died after the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean that day.