Tatiana Schlossberg Dies at 35: Kennedy Granddaughter and Environmental Journalist Succumbs to Leukemia
New York, Tuesday, 30 December 2025.
Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. A respected environmental journalist, Schlossberg spent her final months in the national spotlight, notably publishing a searing New Yorker essay that revealed her terminal diagnosis while publicly rebuking her cousin, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A Tragic Loss at 35
Schlossberg passed away on December 30, 2025, at the age of 35 [1]. Her death marks the end of a grueling medical battle that began in May 2024, shortly after the birth of her second child [3][4]. While her career focused on climate change and environmental protection, her final year was defined by a candid public struggle with her health and a notable political intervention involving her extended family [1].
Diagnosis and Medical Trajectory
The diagnosis came unexpectedly. In May 2024, after delivering her daughter, Schlossberg discovered a drastic imbalance in her white blood cell count [3]. While a normal count ranges between 4,000 and 11,000 cells per microliter, hers had surged to 131,000 cells per microliter [4]. Doctors identified the cause as acute myeloid leukemia driven by a rare mutation known as Inversion 3 [3]. Despite regarding herself as “one of the healthiest people” she knew—having swum a mile just a day before giving birth—Schlossberg was thrust into an aggressive treatment regimen [3][4].
Public Dissent and Family Dynamics
In the final months of her life, Schlossberg chose to make her private battle public, leveraging her platform to address both her illness and the political landscape. In an essay published in The New Yorker on November 22, 2025, she revealed her terminal status [4]. The piece was not only a memoir of mortality but also a sharp political critique; she explicitly targeted her cousin, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., labeling him “an embarrassment” [1].
Legacy and Final Days
Throughout her illness, Schlossberg expressed deep concern for her young family. She is survived by her husband, George Moran, whom she married in 2017, and their two children: a son, Edwin, aged 3, and a daughter, aged 19 months [3][4]. In her writings, she articulated the heartbreak of her situation, fearing that her children—whose faces she described as living “permanently on the inside of my eyelids”—would not remember her [3].