Joan Bennett Kennedy, the former wife of the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, died Wednesday morning in her sleep at her home in Boston, according to her family . She was 89 years old.

The couple had three children together, Kara, Ted Jr., and former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy.

Her tumultuous marriage to Kennedy, which began in 1958 and ended in 1982, made her an international celebrity. Her life post-divorce as a music scholar and performer and advocate on issues of addiction and mental health cemented her status as an important figure in American life.

She was open and eloquent about her battles with alcoholism and depression in an era when celebrity confessionals were rare, and inspired the impactful post-politics career of her son Patrick, one of the nation's

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