the true story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Earlier this week, it was announced that Ryan Murphy will be taking up the story of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy as part of his “American Story” series.

First there was the fictionalized series “American Horror Story,” then “American Crime Story,” which focuses on personalities such as OJ Simpson and Jeffrey Dahmer, then “American Sports Story,” and now comes a pure “American Love Story.”

It is not known when the series will air, only that the producers are very interested in documenting the relationship between JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. “We have every intention of [tell that story],” producer Nina Jacobson told Variety.

Brad Simpson, another producer on the series, agreed. “We have great scripts for it. We're trying to figure out when it's coming out. It's a story that really resonates right now. It's incredible. A lot of younger women see her as a kind of representative icon of a certain time, which is really fascinating, and hopefully we can get that on the screen soon.”

But what was the true story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and why was it so compelling? Here we look back at the time when the couple met, fell in love and met a tragic end on the same flight in 1999.

JKF Jr.: political magazine editor and born celebrity

John F. Kennedy Jr., born in July 1999, was the son of John F. Kennedy (aka JFK), the 35th President of the United States. JFK was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, when JFK Jr. was only three years old.

JFK Jr. did not enter politics, but made a name for himself as a lawyer, journalist and magazine publisher.

In 1995, he launched his own magazine, George, which covered politics, lifestyle and fashion. The first issue featured Cindy Crawford on the cover, styled in the style of George Washington.

He has had many high-profile relationships, including affairs with Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker and Brooke Shields, as well as a five-year relationship with Daryl Hannah.

Carolyn: a “born public figure”

Carolyn Bessette, on the other hand, was born in New York and grew up in Connecticut, where she was voted the “ultimate most beautiful person” at her Catholic high school and reportedly attended “all the right parties.”

A socialite by nature, Bessette attended Boston University, where she briefly considered becoming a model but ended up working in the fashion industry after graduating.

She landed a job at Calvin Klein, where she managed the brand's celebrity clients, including Annette Bening and Diane Sawyer. She eventually produced the brand's fashion shows and became the brand's PR director.

A relationship under lock and key — and for good reason

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette first met in 1992, when JFK's relationship with Daryl Hannah was coming to an end. They were first introduced to each other in a Calvin Klein dressing room when Bessette was chosen to look after JKR Jr., one of the brand's VIP clients. “Calvin – along with his wife Kelly Klein and […] Assistant MJ Bettenhausen decided that it [Carolyn]the liveliest person in the showroom, showing John the dress selection,” wrote Elizabeth Beller in her 2024 book “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.”

They got along well, but were together on and off until 1994, and Bessette reportedly took offense that JFK Jr. did not introduce her to his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy (formerly Onassis). “When Carolyn met Jackie, I think [JFK Jr] knew this was going to take on a life of its own,” Beller told PEOPLE, adding, “Maybe he wasn't quite ready for it.” Beller also noted that his failure to introduce Bessette to his mother before her death in 1994 was “one of his biggest regrets.”

A marriage marked by endless media attention

And when the relationship finally became public in 1995, it did indeed take on a life of its own. Bessette had moved into Kennedy's New York apartment, where paparazzi waited outside day in and day out to take photos of the couple. “She's a very private woman,” JFK Jr. told USA Today. “It's like suddenly losing a life you've built on your own terms.”

They kept their relationship largely private, including their year-long engagement that began later that year and their strictly private wedding in 1996. The ceremony was held by candlelight in a tiny wooden chapel in the state of Georgia, and the bride wore a pearl-white silk dress by Narciso Rodriguez (a then-unknown relative).

After the wedding, media attention around the couple increased and did not subside until long after their deaths. “Marriage is a big change for us, and even more so for a private person like Carolyn,” JFK Jr. said at the time. “I ask that you give her as much privacy and space as possible.”

A terrible plane crash claims her life

JFK Jr. began flying as a hobby in 1998, a passion he had harbored for years but never acted on. He took flying lessons in Florida and received his pilot's license in April 1999. But then, in July, less than three months after earning his pilot's license, Kennedy ran into trouble during a flight to Martha's Vineyard and Massachusetts with Carolyn and her sister Lauren on board.

Despite checking with the control tower at Martha's Vineyard, Kennedy lost control of his plane over the coast and the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean within 30 seconds. Navy divers recovered their bodies from the plane. All three were still strapped in their seatbelts and autopsies determined they died on impact. JFK Jr. was 38, Carolyn was 33 and her sister Lauren was 34.

Kennedy's close friend, historian Steven Gillon, once told PEOPLE of the plane crash: “At the first sign of danger, he should have done what many pilots did that night and flown inland, away from the sea, spend the night somewhere, and then the next morning […] It was [JFK Jr’s] poor judgment that led to his death and that of his wife and sister-in-law, and there is no getting around it. John bears responsibility for his recklessness that night, and John alone.”

So, whenever the Ryan Murphy series comes out, it will likely cover the couple's turbulent early relationship, relentless pursuit by the press, and the tragic plane crash that ended their lives prematurely. Now we just have to wait and see who will play them.