The curse of Camelot strikes again: Robert Kennedy Jr's 'lonely' ex-wife hanged herself in barn of New York home as she feared financial ruin after divorce
- Mary Kennedy discovered at Mount Kisco property, Westchester County
- Mother-of-four - eldest child is 17 and youngest just 11
- Mrs Kennedy, 52, had fought drug and alcohol problems
- 'She seemed lost, alone and sort of out of it' said neighbor
- Robert Kennedy returned to family estate this evening
- He has been living in Los Angeles and dating TV star Cheryl Hines
By MEGHAN KENEALLY and LOUISE BOYLE
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Glamorous: Robert Kennedy Jr and wife Mary at the Oscars in 2007. She reportedly hanged herself at the family home in New York
Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert Kennedy Jr., hanged herself in a barn behind the family's lavish home yesterday, according to reports.
Mrs Kennedy, 52, and Robert, the third-eldest of Robert Kennedy's 11 children, were married for 16 years before he filed for divorce in May 2010.
The death was the latest in a succession of tragedies to strike the glittering and powerful Kennedy clan, known as the 'curse of Camelot'.
The mother-of-four was found dead at her Mount Kisco estate in Westchester County, New York.
Her youngest child is just eleven and the eldest 17 years old.
Cause of death would be confirmed following an autopsy which was scheduled for later today.
Mrs Kennedy had an ongoing battle with drugs and alcohol and on several occasions tried to seek help.
Police surrounded the family home on Wednesday - a red-brick mansion with a columned porch entrance set in acres of woodland. In the grounds are several outhouses.
A distraught Robert Kennedy Jr, 58, was seen entering the home around 8pm.
He has been living in Los Angeles and dating TV star Cheryl Hines.
None of Mrs Kennedy's children were at home, according to reports.
The two oldest were away at boarding school and the youngest with their father.
Mrs Kennedy's family released a statement following the news of her death.
'We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her. Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation.'
In a statement issued by Robert Kennedy Jr's chief of staff, the family described Mary Kennedy as 'a genius at friendship'.
It added: 'Mary inspired our family with her kindness, her love, her gentle soul and generous spirit.'
Following the devastating blow of her very public divorce, Mrs Kennedy had gone into rehab in February, friends told the New York Daily News.
One neighbor said: 'She always seems lost these days, whenever she came into the village. Lost and alone and sort of out of it.'
Mysterious: The home in Mount Kisco, Westchester County, New York where 52-year-old Mrs Kennedy was found dead today
Before the split: The couple appeared together at his uncle Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral in August 2009, just months before divorcing in May 2010
Mrs Kennedy was also reportedly under increased financial pressure, being chased by creditors and was worried that she may lose her home.
A source told RadarOnline: 'Mary said she was facing financial ruin... she was concerned that Robert was about to substantially reduce the amount of financial support he gave her and she was terrified she would have to file for bankruptcy and lose her home.'
Mrs Kennedy had two high-profile arrests around the time her husband filed for divorce in 2010. Just three days after her husband filed for the papers, Mrs Kennedy was arrested for suspected drunk driving.
She was arrested when police saw her drive over a curb outside near a school carnival. When she failed several sobriety tests, she was given a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.11 - above the legal limit of 0.08.
Family: The Kennedy couple pictured with three of their four children in 2008 at a benefit
Prior to this incident, a domestic violence report had been filed at the family home although no charges were actually pressed, according to a local blog. The case was related to two of the family's four children getting into a fight.
Mary Kennedy was charged later that year with driving under the influence of drugs, but that charge was dismissed in July 2011 when a judge said the evidence showed she didn't know the medications she had taken would impair her ability to drive.
At the time of her sentencing, family and friends spoke out in support of her. Her mother-in-law, Ethel Kennedy, wrote in a letter that she 'is a caring, nourishing mother who has nursed her four children through lifelong bouts of debilitating allergies,' according to an account in Westchester's The Journal News.
Robert Kennedy Jr is currently dating actress Cheryl Hines, best known for her role as Larry David's wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Golden couple: Mary and Robert Kennedy married in April 1994 and had four children. Mr Kennedy filed for divorce in 2010
Moving on: Robert Kennedy Jr. is dating actress Cheryl Hines and has been spending more time in Los Angeles since filing for divorce from Mary
Mary Kennedy, neé Richardson, was Robert's second wife and the couple married in April 1994.
She had known the Kennedys for years, through her friendship with Robert Kennedy Jr.'s sister, Kerry Kennedy, whom she met at boarding school. She had been Kerry Kennedy's maid of honor at her wedding in 1990.After a Roman Catholic mass, her own wedding reception was held on a boat on the Hudson River.
Mr Kennedy divorced his first wife in the Dominican Republic a month before his second marriage. Mary gave birth to their first child three months later.
Mary Kennedy was an architect and designer and had overseen the renovation of the couple's home into an environmentally advanced showpiece.
Robert Kennedy, 58, works as a radio show host, a political activist and environmental lawyer.
In addition to his four children with Mary - Conor, Kyra, William and Aiden - he has two older children from his first marriage.
Neighbor Leslie Lampert, who owns the Cafe of Love restaurant a short drive from the Kennedy home, said Mary Kennedy was 'at all times just a lovely individual'.
'She was community-oriented,' Lampert said. 'She was always kind in our presence.'
Another neighbor, Kim Fraioli, a trauma therapist who lives a few houses down from the Kennedys, said the family was private.
In mourning: The Kennedy home in Westchester County, New York where mother of four Mary was found dead today
Secluded: Neighbors said the Kennedys kept to themselves but that Mary Kennedy was 'lovely'
'We left them alone,' said Ms Fraioli. 'We didn't have any interaction. I think it's a tragedy. It's very sad for their family and the surviving children. My heart goes out to the family.'
The unexpected death of another person connected to the Kennedy clan brought to mind the other sorrows the famous family has suffered.
Shopping in Bedford, Diane Glokler said, 'I've always just thought that family is very tragic. They keep having tragic things happening to them. It's heart-wrenching.'
CURSE OF CAMELOT: HOW TRAGEDY HAS STALKED THE KENNEDYS
The alleged suicide of Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was the latest tragedy to strike the Kennedy family - a name which has become synonymous not only with glamor, wealth and power but also devastating loss and scandal.
The assassination of President John F Kennedy in Dallas in 1963 left the nation bereft and ignited the idea which came to be known as the 'curse of Camelot'.
Just six months later in June 1964, a plane carrying JFK's youngest brother Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy crashed, killing the pilot and a political aide.
Born into power: Robert Kennedy Jr. (being held by his father Robert Kennedy Sr), was the third child of RFK and Ethel Kennedy, seen here in 1957
The senator was pulled from the wreckage and spent weeks recovering from a broken back, punctured lung and internal bleeding.
On June 6, 1968, Senator Robert F Kennedy, Robert Jr's father, was assassinated by a shooter in LA following his victory in the Californian presidential primary.
The second assassination in the family was quickly followed by a murky episode which became known as the 'Chappaquiddick incident'.
In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy accidentally drove his car off a bridge on the Massachusetts Island, trapping a passenger Mary Jo Kopechne inside where she drowned.
Ted Kennedy later said he wondered 'whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys'.
Loss: Robert Kennedy Senior (pictured with Robert Jr, right) was assassinated in 1968
The next generation of Kennedys suffered no fewer tragedies.
In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr, the little boy known as John-John who symbolized a nation's mourning as he stood at his father's coffin in Arlington Cemetery, was killed when a small plane he was flying crashed into the Atlantic, close to the family's Martha's Vineyard compound.
David Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy Sr, died of a Demerol and cocaine overdose in a Florida hotel room in 1984 after having battled addiction for many years.
Michael Kennedy, another of Robert Jr's brothers, died during a skiing accident in Aspen when some family members were playing football while on skis and not wearing helmets.
He crashed into a tree during the December 1997 incident and died, which came shortly after his family's babysitter claimed he had a sexual relationship with her when she was only 14.
Ted Kennedy's daughter Kara suffered a fatal heart attack last September after her daily workout at a Washington gym. She was 51.
Mary Kennedy, wife of Robert Kennedy Jr, was found dead at her home in Westchester County, New York today after an apparent suicide.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2145456/Mary-Kennedy-death-Robert-Kennedy-Jrs-ex-wife-dead-New-York-home-apparent-suicide.html#ixzz1v7fPakEz
Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law
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