A young, bright face from a prestigious political lineage, Kennedy was widely expected to run for office. But he did not. After graduating from Brown, Kennedy participated in numerous amateur theater productions and then, to please his mother, many believe, enrolled at the New York University Law School. Kennedy twice failed the New York bar exam before passing.

''It's hard for me to talk about a legacy or a mystique,'' Kennedy said in a 1993 interview. ''It's my family. The fact that there have been difficulties and hardships, or obstacles, makes us closer.''

At a State House celebration of President Kennedy in 1992, (from left) Patrick Kennedy, John Jr., Michael Kennedy, and Senator Edward Kennedy.