Quiet Memorials for JFK Jr.

July 16 -- A year ago, we woke up to the news that John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane had vanished. With it, perhaps, went the last flash of America’s “Camelot.”

In the weeks afterward, Americans filled the streets of New York to grieve at planned and makeshift memorials for Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

But there is no Kennedy family gathering planned for this weekend, a family spokesman says. There is no statement expected from the family or from the magazine he founded, beyond a memorial photo and quote in the current July issue, to mark the sad anniversary.

Nevertheless, a year ago today, Kennedy, his wife and her sister were killed when Kennedy’s single-engine plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod as they flew to a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard.

Fame Lives

Even in death, the perennial “sexiest man alive” and son of President John F. Kennedy has kept a typically high, square-jawed profile, whether he would have wanted it that way or not.

His fans can look forward to watching the story of his life and untimely death in a Fox television movie slated for early next year. They may also be able to read about his time editing George in a book planned by a former editor at the magazine.

They may have heard about the storm of protest from typically secretive George staffers about the planned book. And true fans almost certainly have read about the sale of JFK Jr.’s loft apartment in New York City, the disposition of his will, and rumors of his family’s struggles to get over his loss.

From the evidence, America at large has sought to salve its own itch for closure. Right after Kennedy died, a memorial issue of George was a red-hot seller. And the magazine — which was rumored on the ropes in John Jr.’s final days — may have been saved by a surge in newsstand sales and new subscriptions.

Crash Back in Headlines

Lately, the crash itself has been back in the headlines.