Who is Patrick Kennedy? Joan Kennedy’s son dropped out of 2006 senate race after mother was found unconscious in Boston street

Joan Kennedy, the first wife of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and the sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy, has passed away at the age of 89. Joan died in her sleep at her Boston residence on October 8, confirmed People Magazine.

Patrick Kennedy is the youngest son of Ted and Joan Kennedy. The former couple shared an older daughter, Kara, and another son named Ted Jr.

Patrick Kennedy opened up about the passing of his mother in a statement given to ABC 6. Patrick recounted the virtues of Joan, and said:

“Besides being a loving mother, talented musician, and instrumental partner to my father as he launched his successful political career, Mom was a powerful example to millions of people with mental health conditions. She will be missed not just by the entire Kennedy Family, but by the arts community in the City of Boston and the many people whose lives that she touched.”

Patrick Kennedy was set to run for the Senate when Joan Kennedy’s struggles with alcoholism re-emerged in the public eye

Joan Kennedy, who separated from Ted Kennedy in the 1970s, underwent a publicized struggle with alcoholism. She took recourse to alcohol following three miscarriages and a cancer struggle of her then 12-year-old son Ted Jr., who had to have one of his legs amputated, according to another report by People Magazine.

In 1978, she spoke to the publication in a resurfaced interview, in which she confessed that her alcoholism emerged from her sadness. She said:

“I didn't know why I was drinking too much. At times I drank to feel less inhibited, to relax at parties. Other times I drank to block out unhappiness, to drown my sorrows.”

While Joan became sober at the time after attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, her struggles with alcoholism re-emerged in the limelight as she was arrested multiple times for driving while drunk, as per Reuters.

In 2005, Joan was found unconscious on the street. 68 years old at the time, Joan was found spread out on a sidewalk Beacon Street in Boston under the rain, as per Tampa Bay Times. The publication noted that she was taken to a hospital with a broken shoulder and a concussion.

At the time, Joan’s son Patrick was a U.S. Representative from from Rhode Island's First congressional district, was thinking of running for the Senate, while contesting the Republican Lincoln Chafee.

After Joan was found in the street in Boston, Patrick announced that he would not be going ahead with his decision to run for the Senate. According to CBS News, Patrick said in 2005,

“I would ... like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for my mother. My family means everything to me, and I would appreciate you respecting my family's privacy at this time.”

Tampa Bay Times notes that while Patrick’s decision not to run for the Senate was announced after his mother was found unconscious, his Chief of Staff Sean Richardson told the media that the Representative’s decision was not impacted by the circumstances surrounding Joan.

Just a year before Joan Kennedy was found fallen on the street, her surviving children, Ted Jr. and Patrick, had been made her guardians. After the incident, Joan entered rehab in 2005, according to ABC News.