Lisa Ann Bessette lost both of her sisters, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette, as well as her brother-in-law, John F. Kennedy Jr., in a devastating plane crash in 1999.

On the evening of July 16, 1999, John, Carolyn and Lauren took off from New Jersey in John’s Piper Saratoga plane. Their plan was to fly to Martha’s Vineyard to drop off Lauren before continuing on to Hyannis Port, Mass., where John and Carolyn were due to attend his cousin Rory Kennedy’s wedding.

However, the haze, the thick fog and the dark night were three of the factors leading to “spatial disorientation” while flying, and their plane tragically crashed into the Atlantic, instantly killing everyone on board.

The untimely deaths of John, who was 38 years old at the time of the crash, Carolyn, 33, and Lauren, 34, plunged the nation into mourning. But no one felt the pain of their loss more acutely than their family members — including Lisa, who is the sole surviving Bessette sibling.

“Each of these three young people — Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. — was the embodiment of love, accomplishment and passion for life. John and Carolyn were true soul mates [and took] solace in the thought that together they will comfort Lauren for eternity,” Carolyn and Lauren’s surviving family members said in a statement at the time.

After attending her sisters’ private memorial services, Lisa has maintained a very private life. She (as well as most of her immediate family) has never spoken publicly about the deaths of Carolyn, Lauren and John.

From her childhood with her two sisters to her quiet academic life, here is everything to know about where Lisa Ann Bessette is now.

Lisa is Lauren’s twin

Lisa and her twin sister Lauren were born on Nov. 5, 1964, to Ann Freeman and William Bessette. Eighteen months later, their younger sister Carolyn was born.

Their parents divorced in 1974 when the girls were young. Following the split, Lisa and her sisters were raised primarily by their mother Ann and her second husband, orthopedic surgeon Richard Freeman, in Greenwich, Conn.

Lisa and Lauren graduated from Greenwich High School in 1982, according to The New York Times.

Lisa is considered more reserved than her sisters

Lisa was the “quietest of the three” sisters, per Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

“Lisa was shyer and quieter than both Carolyn and Lauren, but she shared their intellectual curiosity and parlayed the same drive with which her sisters rose to the tops of their fields into her work as an art historian,” Beller wrote.

Lisa and Lauren were also protective older sisters who “looked out for Carolyn” during their childhoods.

Lisa attended the University of Michigan

Following her high school graduation, Lisa went to the University of Michigan, where she graduated with an art degree.

Lisa was described as “more sensitive and bohemian” than her sisters and “interested in art,” according to Beller’s book.

Lisa was studying in Munich when her sisters’ plane crash occurred

On July 16, 1999, Lisa was in Munich, pursuing her doctorate in Renaissance studies through the University of Michigan, The Guardian reported. Upon news of the plane crash, Lisa flew back to the U.S. from Germany as the search-and-recovery mission for her sisters and brother-in-law was underway.

After the bodies of Carolyn, Lauren and John were discovered on July 21, 1999, their cremated remains were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Lisa, as well as her mother and stepfather, were all in attendance at the private ceremony.

Lisa and her family sought privacy following the tragic deaths

Carolyn and Lauren’s family maintained their privacy in the aftermath of their devastating deaths. Outside of the rare public statement, they have never spoken to the media or given a public interview about the losses of Carolyn and Lauren.

At the first anniversary of the plane crash, Lisa’s mother Ann reiterated the family’s desire for privacy.

“We have been besieged by requests for comments as the anniversary…draws near,” Ann said at the time, per the Associated Press, via Cape Cod Times. “The loss of these three young people whom we loved so much has forever changed our lives. We continue to struggle with our grief and we choose to maintain what’s left of our privacy.”

Lisa’s stepfather, Richard, previously told the New York Post that the family continued to choose to stay out of the spotlight.

“We never cooperate with the media, no interviews, no questions, and that is still our position,” he said.

Lisa received her PhD in medieval art history in 2004

Following the devastating deaths of her sisters, Lisa continued her doctoral degree. In 2004, she defended her dissertation on medieval art history and received her PhD from the University of Michigan.

In her more than 500-page dissertation, Lisa acknowledged how challenging it was to complete her studies in the aftermath of her sisters’ and brother-in-law’s deaths and expressed her thanks for those who had helped her reach the finish line.

“A number of people, though they may not have contributed directly to the project, were essential to its completion, having seen me through six very difficult years,” she wrote, per the New York Post.

Where is Lisa Bessette now?

Lisa has lived a life out of the public eye in the decades since the loss of her sisters, Carolyn and Lauren.

Since completing her graduate studies, she has lived with her longtime partner, art history professor Howard Lay, in Ann Arbor, Mich., according to the Daily Mail and the New York Post. She has occasionally worked at the University of Michigan Art Museum, the university confirmed in 2019.

Lisa has never spoken publicly about the tragedy that took the lives of her sisters and brother-in-law.