Jack Schlossberg Shares First Public Update on Parents Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg Following Sister Tatiana’s Death
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Nearly three weeks after the unexpected passing of 33-year-old award-winning environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, the second child of former U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy and prominent interactive designer Edwin “Ed” Schlossberg, her younger brother Jack Schlossberg has shared the first official public update on how his parents are navigating their overwhelming grief. Speaking on the sidelines of a youth civic engagement event in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, the 31-year-old JFK grandson, who has largely kept a low profile outside of occasional public advocacy work, told reporters that his parents have been leaning on each other, their extended family, and their tight-knit local community as they process the loss of their daughter.
“My mom and dad have been such a source of strength for all of us right now, even when they’re hurting more than anyone can imagine,” Jack said in brief, emotional remarks. “Mom has formally stepped back from all of her diplomatic duties for the foreseeable future, and dad has canceled all upcoming speaking engagements and client design project deadlines to be with family full-time. Most days, they’re either up at our family home in Martha’s Vineyard where Tatiana spent so much of her childhood, or staying with Tatiana’s husband and her two young kids, helping with school drop-offs, bedtime routines, and all the small, mundane, normal things that make the unendurable days feel a little softer.”
He added that the entire family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from members of the public who followed Tatiana’s decade-long career covering climate justice and underreported environmental policy issues, and that they are in the early stages of planning a non-profit foundation named in her honor that will fund grassroots youth-led climate action projects across the U.S. Jack also emphasized that while the family appreciates all the kind messages and tributes they have received from around the world, they are asking for full privacy as they grieve, and will not be sharing any further details about Tatiana’s cause of death or any upcoming private memorial services at this time. “Tatiana spent her whole career fighting to protect the planet for future generations, and that’s the legacy we want to lift up right now, not all the noise and baseless speculation that comes with being part of a well-known public family,” he said. “We’re just taking it one day at a time, and we’re so grateful for everyone who has respected our space during this impossibly hard period.”
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My heart goes out to the entire Schlossberg and Kennedy family right now. Tatiana was such a brilliant, thoughtful journalist whose work on climate change inspired so many young people to get involved in environmental advocacy. It’s so reassuring to hear that Caroline and Ed have each other and their grandkids to lean on as they grieve, I hope they get all the peace and privacy they need to heal.
As someone who has followed Caroline Kennedy’s decades of public service from her time as Ambassador to Japan to her most recent work in Australia, I was absolutely devastated to hear about Tatiana’s passing. It makes perfect sense that she’s stepping back from all official duties to focus on her family—family has always been the core value for the Kennedys, even with all the public attention they constantly face. I can’t wait to support the foundation they’re launching in Tatiana’s name, her legacy deserves to live on for decades.
I lost my older sister unexpectedly two years ago, and hearing Jack talk about how his parents are leaning on small, daily routines with their grandkids to get through this hits so close to home. Grief is such a messy, lonely journey, but having your closest family around you to get through the small stuff makes all the difference. Sending so much love to their whole family during this impossible time.
It’s so refreshing to see a famous family prioritize their privacy and their lost loved one’s legacy over media attention right now. Tatiana did such important, underrated work for climate action, and I’m glad the family is centering that instead of engaging with all the tabloid rumors that have been circulating since her passing. Wishing them all the best as they heal.