Diana's Tragedy Resonates with Kennedy-Bessette

0:00It's March 20th, let's get into entertainment and celebrity news. Princess Diana died in a car crash on August 31, 1997, at age 36, while fleeing paparazzi in a Paris tunnel. Her sudden death hit John F. Kennedy Jr. in Carolyn Bassett hard, as the couple faced their own relentless media chase, often seen as America's version of royalty. Earlier that December in 1995, Kennedy Jr. met Diana at a New York hotel to pitch her as a cover star for his magazine, George. She politely declined, but later sent him a letter in February 1997, sharing empathy for the paparazzi pressure they both endured. Bassett never met Diana directly, though both attended a Versace Memorial around that time. A week after the crash, the couple watched Diana's funeral from Hyannis Port, with Bassett lost in thought and Kennedy Jr. quietly playing music. Bassett reacted with deep fear, telling her husband the paparazzi were truly dangerous, a warning that echoed her daily struggles.

1:02She rejected advice from Kennedy's family aides on smiling for one photo to ease the hounding, calling the photographer's outright hateful. This tragedy underscored the shared perils of fame for Diana, and the couple, amplifying Bassett's terror amid their high-profile life under constant, scrutiny.