A Thank You from Kennedys

Friday January 29, 1999 12:00 AM EST

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Speaking for his grief-stricken relatives, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy on Monday thanked Americans for their expressions of sympathy over the loss of his cousin John F. Kennedy Jr., who was killed in the July 16 plane crash that also claimed John's wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette. "It made an enormous difference in my family's ability to cope with this very tragic loss," said Rep. Patrick Kennedy, 32, a son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Returning to Rhode Island after a weekend of mourning at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Mass., the Massachusetts Democrat voiced his gratitude for an "overwhelming" outpouring of condolences.

Rep. Kennedy's cousin Joseph P. Kennedy II, a son of Robert F. Kennedy and a former congressman from Massachusetts, also had words of thanks. "There has been such an overwhelming outpouring of kindness from so many people that it was very touching for all of our family," he said. "I loved my cousin John dearly, and I am so grateful for the relationship I had with him. I feel the loss immensely."

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