While the world might remember John F. Kennedy Jr. as a handsome political heir tragically taken too soon, he was a different symbol entirely to the generation who lived through his father’s presidency.
For those of that era, and political and pop culture historians alike, the junior Kennedy was “John John,” the little boy who played on the carpet of the oval office and, memorably, saluted his father JFK’s casket at age three in 1963.
In Spike TV’s new documentary “I Am JFK Jr,” filmmaker Derik Murray (“Johnny Cash: American Rebel”) explores the life of the celebrity and editor, who himself died in a 1999 plane crash with wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren.
“Everybody of my mom’s generation always sees him as that little boy at his father’s funeral,” says CNN correspondent Paul Begala in a clip exclusive to TheWrap, which also features Cindy Crawford.
Crawford famously impersonated George Washington for the inaugural cover of JFK Jr’s George magazine.
“His fame was both derivative and tragic. He wasn’t famous for anything he did, he was famous because of his existence,” concluded Begala.
TheWrap recently met with a top aide to JFK Jr. who believed he would have run for president in 2016.
“[John] was approached for Hillary’s Senate seat. He basically said, If she ran he wouldn’t do it. But I think he thought it was too soon. I don’t think he would’ve liked the Senate. As governor, he would’ve felt more empowered to do more running the state of New York,” said RoseMarie Terenzio, former chief of staff at George.
“I Am JFK Jr.” airs Monday at 9 p.m. on Spike TV.