Patricia Lawford, sister of President Kennedy

BOSTON – Patricia Kennedy Lawford, the sister of President John F Kennedy and wife of actor Peter Lawford, died of complications of pneumonia, according to a spokeswoman for Senator Edward M Kennedy.

She was 82. A lifelong lover of the arts who devoted much of her time to charity work, Lawford died surrounded by family at her home in New York.”My sister Pat is irreplaceable,” Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement on her death on Sunday.”Everyone who knew Pat adored her.She was admired for her great style, for her love and support of the arts, her wit and generosity – and for the singular sense of wonder and joy she brought into our lives.”Patricia Kennedy was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Rose and Joseph Kennedy’s nine children.”Pat was our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” the family’s statement said.”She reminded us always of the true meaning of family, and her most precious gift to each of us was her unconditional love and support.”While always a tireless supporter of her brother’s political campaigns, inspired by her father’s career in the movie industry, she set her sights of Hollywood at a young age soon after her graduation from Rosemont College.She began working as an assistant in NBC’s New York production department and then moved to Los Angeles with the goal of becoming a producer and director.She worked as an assistant for Kate Smith’s radio programme, and for Father Peyton’s Family Theatre and Family Rosary Crusade, according to the Web site for the John F Kennedy Library and Museum.She met British actor Peter Lawford through her brother, the future president, in 1949.They were married in 1954 and had four children.Lawford travelled the country in support of her brother’s presidential campaign in 1960 and was also involved in the political campaigns of Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.They lived in Santa Monica, California, where her husband gained a reputation as a ladies’ man and garnered at least as much attention for his off-screen antics as a member of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Rat Pack’ as for his acting.The couple were divorced in 1965.She moved to New York City in 1965 where she became a supporter of the city’s arts scene.She founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts and also worked with the National Centre on Addiction and with the Kennedy Library.”Throughout her life, Pat was constantly inspiring and helping others,” the family statement said.”Whether it was campaigning for her brothers, or championing literacy and the arts, her purest gift was her beautiful heart.”As with her assassinated brothers, John and Robert, tragedy also befell the five Kennedy daughters.Rosemary was born mentally impaired, and another, Kathleen, was killed in a plane crash in 1948.Lawford is survived by children Christopher, Sydney, Victoria and Robin and 10 grandchildren.Nampa-AP-ReutersA lifelong lover of the arts who devoted much of her time to charity work, Lawford died surrounded by family at her home in New York.”My sister Pat is irreplaceable,” Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement on her death on Sunday.”Everyone who knew Pat adored her.She was admired for her great style, for her love and support of the arts, her wit and generosity – and for the singular sense of wonder and joy she brought into our lives.”Patricia Kennedy was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Rose and Joseph Kennedy’s nine children.”Pat was our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” the family’s statement said.”She reminded us always of the true meaning of family, and her most precious gift to each of us was her unconditional love and support.”While always a tireless supporter of her brother’s political campaigns, inspired by her father’s career in the movie industry, she set her sights of Hollywood at a young age soon after her graduation from Rosemont College.She began working as an assistant in NBC’s New York production department and then moved to Los Angeles with the goal of becoming a producer and director.She worked as an assistant for Kate Smith’s radio programme, and for Father Peyton’s Family Theatre and Family Rosary Crusade, according to the Web site for the John F Kennedy Library and Museum.She met British actor Peter Lawford through her brother, the future president, in 1949.They were married in 1954 and had four children.Lawford travelled the country in support of her brother’s presidential campaign in 1960 and was also involved in the political campaigns of Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.They lived in Santa Monica, California, where her husband gained a reputation as a ladies’ man and garnered at least as much attention for his off-screen antics as a member of Frank Sinatra’s ‘Rat Pack’ as for his acting.The couple were divorced in 1965.She moved to New York City in 1965 where she became a supporter of the city’s arts scene.She founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts and also worked with the National Centre on Addiction and with the Kennedy Library.”Throughout her life, Pat was constantly inspiring and helping others,” the family statement said.”Whether it was campaigning for her brothers, or championing literacy and the arts, her purest gift was her beautiful heart.”As with her assassinated brothers, John and Robert, tragedy also befell the five Kennedy daughters.Rosemary was born mentally impaired, and another, Kathleen, was killed in a plane crash in 1948.Lawford is survived by children Christopher, Sydney, Victoria and Robin and 10 grandchildren.Nampa-AP-Reuters