Teddy Kennedy dead at 77

Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy dead at 77

And then there was one. Jean Kennedy Smith, who was about four years older than Teddy, is the last living sibling of the storied Kennedy clan. There were originally four sisters and four brothers. Teddy was the youngest of the eight. He was the only one of the boys to die of natural causes. He outlived each of his brothers by at least 40 years, and outlived Joe by 65 years.

He had been in the senate more or less forever. He had already been in that august body for a year when his brother Jack was assassinated, which seems so long ago. All told: Teddy spent 47 consecutive years in the U.S. Senate. Since the average age of Americans is significantly lower than that, it is safe to say that for most of us this is the first day we have awakened without Ted Kennedy in the senate.