&34;RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise&34; by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14. RFK Jr. book reveals haunting detail about late wife Mary's suicide &34;RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise&34; by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14. By Marina Watts Marina Watts Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek. EW's editorial guidelines April 8, 2026 3:58 p.m.

"RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise" by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14.

RFK Jr. book reveals haunting detail about late wife Mary's suicide

"RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise" by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

EW's editorial guidelines

April 8, 2026 3:58 p.m. ET

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy in New York in November 2010. Credit:

Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

- Haunting details about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, are mentioned in an upcoming biography.

- Mary died by suicide in 2012.

- *RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise *by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent hits bookstores on April 14.

Haunting details about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s second wife's death are brought to the forefront in a new book.

In the upcoming biography *RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise* by investigative journalist Isabel Vincent, haunting details about Mary Richardson Kennedy's death are mentioned in an exclusive excerpt given to PEOPLE. Mary died by suicide on May 16, 2012, two years after the secretary of health and human services filed for a divorce. At the time in 2010, Mary was struggling with sobriety.

She was found at 1:30 p.m. hanging from a rope noose on a beam in her garage dressed in black workout clothes and sandals. Rigor mortis had set in by the time the Westchester EMS arrived on the scene around 1:51 p.m., which meant that Mary was likely dead for several hours before she was found by RFK Jr. and Mary's friend, Shannon White.

Mary's housekeeper told RFK Jr. that she had been missing and went looking for her. He also made the 911 call. “He was worried something had happened to Mary and that she may have hurt herself," White told the police, according to Vincent's book.

Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy Jr. in New York in December 2008.

JONATHON ZIEGLER /Patrick McMullan via Getty

Mary's remains were taken to the medical examiner. It was discovered that her fingers were between the neck and the noose when she was found. “Maybe she really didn’t want to die,” Mary's doctor had said.

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After her death, the Richardson family "hired a high-powered private investigation firm and a former homicide detective" in order to answer questions surrounding her death. The family wanted to know how she acquired a rope and learned how to tie the nautical knot used in her suicide, along with information about RFK Jr.'s "movements." ****

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Unfortunately, nothing came out of the probe launched, and the family opted to forgo a wrongful death lawsuit against the Kennedys. According to Vincent's book, friends believed that Mary's death weighed heavily on RFK Jr. despite already having moved on with actress Cheryl Hines.

“I know Bobby well enough to know that Mary’s suicide is a weight he will carry for the rest of his life," a former close friend had said, per the book. "That’s going to haunt him.”

'RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise' by Isabel Vincent.

*RFK, Jr.: The Fall and Rise* by Isabel Vincent goes on sale April 14 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

*If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).*

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Source: "EW Books"

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Source: Books

Published: April 8, 2026 at 05:00PM on Source: PRIME TIME

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