Meet RoseMarie Terenzio, close friend of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette

Mar 26 , 2026

RoseMarie Terenzio, who wrote JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography with Liz McNeil (right), pictured with JFK Jr in New York (left). Photos: @rmterenzio, @lizmcneil6/Instagram

As the obsession over FX’s Love Story continues, some are turning to Terenzio’s books – JFK Jr and Fairy Tale Interrupted – for a more accurate account of ‘America’s prince’ and his wife

Ryan Murphy’s hit FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette has been one of the biggest TV sensations of the year so far.

The show, which explores the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr, son of former US president John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette, has left a new generation swooning over the 1990s “It” couple, who died in a plane crash in 1999.

The show has taken some creative liberties in its portrayal of the pair and has brought renewed attention to the reality of their highly publicised relationship.

Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Paul Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr in a scene from Love Story. Photo: FX via AP

For a more accurate account of Kennedy and Bessette’s love story, viewers are turning to the book JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography. It is co-authored by RoseMarie Terenzio, who once served as Kennedy’s executive assistant and the chief of staff at his magazine, George, and Liz McNeil, People magazine’s editor-at-large. The book, originally published in 2024, released its paperback edition in February this year.

Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. Photo: @allforcarolyn/Instagram

Terenzio, who was a close friend of the couple, also wrote the memoir, Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss, which details her friendship with Kennedy as well as his highly scrutinised relationship with Bessette.

“Through sheer force of will I just didn’t want him or her to be forgotten, and I still don’t,” the author told Town & Country.

Here, we take a look at Terenzio’s life and her ties to the Kennedy family.

What’s her background?

Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio behind the scenes after an appearance on the US chat show Morning Joe. Photo: @lizmcneil6/Instagram