Pat Kennedy Lawford Dead At 82

(CBS/AP)  Pat Kennedy Lawford, younger sister of John F. Kennedy and big sister to Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Ted Kennedy, and ex-wife of actor Peter Lawford, has died at her home in New York at the age of 82.

A statement issued by the Kennedy and Lawford families late Sunday night says Lawford, the sixth of the nine children born to Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, died of complications from pneumonia.

"Everyone who knew Pat adored her," said Sen. Kennedy. "She was admired for her great style, for her love and support of the arts, her wit and generosity—and for the singular sense of wonder and joy she brought into our lives. She was devoted to her friends, and was unstinting in her love for our family."

"Throughout her life, Pat was constantly inspiring and helping others," said Kennedy. "Whether it was campaigning for her brothers, or championing literacy and the arts, her purest gift was her beautiful heart, and it shone brightly in all she did. We miss her deeply, and we always will."

Her early years were marked by glamour, as – impressed by the Hollywood she saw through the eyes of her father, whose many ventures included the founding of RKO Studios – she set her sights on show business soon after her graduating from Rosemont College.

She began working as an assistant in NBC's New York production department and then moved to Los Angeles with the goal of becoming a producer and director. She worked as an assistant for Kate Smith's radio program, and for Father Peyton's Family Theater and Family Rosary Crusade, according to the web site for the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

She met British actor Peter Lawford through John F. Kennedy, in 1949.

They married in 1954 and soon became one of the California's best known star couples. They went on to have four children but by 1965, the marriage had ended in divorce – especially taboo for Catholics in those times – and she never remarried.

Peter Lawford – part of Hollywood's 'Rat Pack' with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop - died in 1984.

Pat Kennedy Lawford traveled the country in support of her brother's presidential campaign in 1960 and was also involved in the political campaigns of Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy.

In 1965, she moved back to New York City, where she became a supporter of the city's arts scene. She founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts and also worked with the National Center on Addiction and with the Kennedy Library.

Ted Kennedy, who calls his sister "irreplacable," praises her devotion to her family.

"Her most precious gift to each of us was her unconditional love and support. Her greatest accomplishment in life was her four children. Their devotion to her is a tribute to the love and care she gave them, and the way she taught them to live their lives with grace and humanity."

Lawford is survived by her children Christopher, Sydney, Victoria and Robin, and ten grandchildren.