Tatiana Schlossberg, Environmental Journalist and Kennedy Granddaughter, Dies at 35
Tatiana Schlossberg, a noted environmental journalist and granddaughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, has passed away following a battle with leukemia. She was 35. Schlossberg’s family announced her death through the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s social media channels, sharing, “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts.”
Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024, Schlossberg publicly disclosed her illness in a November 2025 essay in The New Yorker, titled “A Battle With My Blood.” In it, she detailed her medical journey, which included chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, and participation in clinical trials. Despite her determination, a doctor had forewarned her that she might only have a year left.
Maria Shriver, a niece of John F. Kennedy and a former television journalist, expressed her sorrow on social media, describing Schlossberg as “the light, the humor, the joy” and lauded her as a journalist who “used her words to educate others about the earth and how to save it.” Shriver added, “She loved her life, and she fought like hell to try to save it.”
Schlossberg’s diagnosis came unexpectedly while she was hospitalized for the birth of her second child. Her elevated white blood cell count led to the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, a condition typically seen in older adults.
In her essay, Schlossberg also criticized policies supported by her mother’s cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that they could potentially harm cancer patients like herself. Her mother, Caroline Kennedy, had previously urged senators to oppose his confirmation, citing concerns over his policy decisions.
Schlossberg had previously worked as a reporter for The New York Times, focusing on climate change and environmental issues. Her 2019 book, “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have,” received the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Rachel Carson Environment Book Award in 2020.
Reflecting on her life, Schlossberg wrote about her fears that her children might not remember her and lamented the lost opportunity to continue living “the wonderful life” she had with her husband, George Moran. Despite her struggles, she remained conscious of the pain her illness caused her family, notably her mother, Caroline Kennedy, and her siblings, Rose and Jack Schlossberg, the other grandchildren of JFK.
Maria Shriver further wrote about Schlossberg’s qualities, describing her as “valiant, strong and courageous,” and praised her intelligence and humor. “She was smart, wicked smart, as they say, and sassy. She was fun, funny loving, caring, a perfect daughter, sister, mother, cousin, niece, friend, all of it,” Shriver noted.
Caroline Kennedy, Schlossberg’s mother, experienced personal tragedies at a young age, with her father, President Kennedy, and her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, both assassinated during her childhood. Caroline’s brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in a plane crash in 1999.
