WWW- JFK’s nephew Christopher Lawford Kennedy, son of Patricia Kennedy and the late Peter Lawford, spills some family secrets in his new memoir.
In “Symptoms of Withdrawal,” Lawford notes: “I was given a good dose of alcoholism and the massive dysfunction that exists in a family dynamic where alcoholism doesn’t just run, it gallops . . . I’ve heard it said that God invented alcohol to keep the Irish from ruling the world. My family almost proved Him wrong.”
Elsewhere, Lawford reveals:
* At age 11, he had his first real sexual experience – catching Jackie Kennedy naked. Lawford was sleeping over at her apartment while visiting his cousin JFK Jr., when he happened to walk in on Jackie getting ready to take a bath.
“Seeing her like this changed me from the boy I was into something more,” he writes. “Being a big brother to my cousin John was not something I really looked forward to until [that] night.”
* Growing up in California, he lived next to Dominick Dunne. The Lawfords had “a spaniel . . . [who] disappeared after a lifetime of relieving himself daily on [Dunne]’s lawn. Coincidence? . . . I wonder.”
* His best friend growing up was Rick Hilton, who once showed Lawford the loaded gun his dad kept under his pillow. “I’m sure he never imagined the day when he would be known as ‘Paris Hilton’s father,’ ” Lawford notes.
* Lawford’s father was a famous ladies man. He told his son the best sex he ever had was with Lana Turner, and revealed that he’d never shagged Marilyn Monroe because she stank. “My dad was real particular [about] hygiene.”
* Lawford became a drug addict who would be busted for drug-related offenses many times in the coming years, but his Kennedy connections usually got him off. He almost died but eventually sobered up.
* In his 20s, Lawford spent a lot of time at the Playboy Mansion thanks to his father’s friendship with Hugh Hefner. “I was out of the loop, but it was kind of cool watching Hefner getting a [bleep] job from two of the most beautiful girls in the world.”
* Lawford almost joined JFK Jr. on the doomed plane ride that took his life. Lawford speculates that Kennedy’s injured leg caused him to crash, noting his cousin had trouble even walking.