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Joan Kennedy, the first wife of Ted Kennedy, died on Oct. 8 at age 89

In past interviews with PEOPLE, Joan opened up about not fitting in with the famous family and struggling to find her place in the Camelot era

For a time, Joan muted her sorrows with alcohol, but eventually divorced Ted, got sober and found peace outside the political spotlight

When Joan Bennett married Ted Kennedy in 1958, she joined one of the world's most famous families.

The Camelot-era Kennedys achieved the highest highs and endured the deepest lows. Over the course of her 25-year marriage to Ted, Joan navigated multiple miscarriages, health scares for her surviving children, and, most famously, the public humiliation of the Chappaquiddick scandal .

She ultimately turned to alcohol to cope w

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