And George Terrian, the alcoholic husband of Ethel Kennedy's alcoholic, pill-popping sister, Georgeann, told me in interviews for my book "The Other Mrs. Kennedy" that, "Everyone in the family knew Lem was q***r - the Kennedys, the Skakels, everyone.". University until Kennedy withdrew for medical reasons. Cherrydale? At Pomfret, he also ignored most of the white kids and hung out with a small group of black students who were part of a program to help underprivileged boys from the mean streets of New York City, some of them gang members. The Kennedys were a liberal family and one that tolerated a lot of heterosexual promiscuity as well. Getty Images Billings, for his part, never married and eventually became a marketing executive and worked on the John F. Kennedy Center for the. During their wedding in Greenwich, Connecticut, Ethels brother knocked Billings down the aisle at the church. Featuring interviews with Ben Bradlee, Gore Vidal, Ted Sorenson, friends, family, and many . As they became close, Billings confided that his relationship with Kennedy was, in fact, sexual, to a point. The Kennedy patriarch, Joe, a noted philanderer himself, was suspicious of Billings' sexual preference from the start of his son's close friendship with him. The Elkhart Truth Obituaries - Legacy.com "I loved the idea of Lem being the go-between for the two lovers and being broker for Jack but also a confidante for Jackie," he says. Like the rest of the free world, Billings was devastated when President Kennedy was assassinated. Lem Billings passed away from a heart attack at 65 in 1981. 'Yesterday was Jack's birthday. Kennedy was unwell through much of his childhood, beginning with a near-deadly case of scarlet . Billings made his desire known while the two were still at school by writing Kennedy a love note on a piece of toilet paper. However, Kennedy's feelings soon changed and he became more amenable to his friend's advances, according to Lawrence J. Quirk, author of The Kennedys in Hollywood, who first met Billings in the mid-forties when both were volunteers in Jack Kennedy's first congressional campaign. In 1941, Jack and Lem both tried out for the military but were both declined, In a 2007 Lem was the second person Jack's sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, called after reaching her sister, Pat Lawford. at a General Shoe store, Emerson Drug Company VP, and an advertising executive " Bayard says of Billings. JFKPP-001-012-p0005. "I just became fascinated with Lem because he was a closeted but as they used to say 'practicing homosexual,' and he was very much part of the inner Kennedy circle from very early in his life," says Bayard, who did a deep dive into the Kennedy archives and biographies while doing researching for the book. In May 1981, as Bobby was about to marry his first wife, Emily Black, 65-year-old Lem Billings suddenly died of a heat attack in his sleep, Shortly before he went to bed he got drunk, started to cry and told a friend, 'I made a terrible mistake. With so many people looking for a relationship with him as he rose through the political ranks, there was one man who stood out as one of JFK's near-constant companions. Suchen Sie nach Lem Billings Fotos und ber 100 Millionen weiteren aktuellen Bildern und Stockfotos bei IMAGO. 228. "I'm sure he's already organizing everything in heaven so it will be completely ready for us - with just the right Early American furniture, the right curtains, the right rugs, the right paintings, and everything ready for a big, big party. Ethel's alcoholic, philandering brother, George Skakel Jr., actually booted Billings in the a** at the church, knocking him into the aisle. 1934: John F Kennedy in hospital: enemas, porn and blondes - Past Peculiar One of the most credible accounts of the Kennedy-Billings relationship was told by David Pitts, who I interviewed extensively for my book, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And The Dark Side Of The Dream, because the strapping, bespectacled Billings, with a high-pitched, effeminate voice, would later become the fawning surrogate father - and fellow drug user - of JFK's nephew, Bobby Kennedy Jr., with whom Billings also had intense romantic feelings. While her husband had his qualms about Billings and couldn't stand to have him around, the matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, had a different take. He was 65 years old. When a Harvard classmate asked Bobby whether such talk had any reality, whether he seriously thought he could win a presidential election and be the second Kennedy to rule the country, Bobby's response was: 'I feel that is my destiny.'. I shoot him a look, and he saysimagine the offhandednessthat we have an additional passenger. David Pitts, author of 'Jack and Lem: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship'said Lem was a gay man and he had a 14-year-old, good-looking kid living in his house with him and there have been rumors because of that. October 14, 2015. He accepted it.' The Brodes friends included a number of gay men, among them such openly gay politicians as Barney Frank and Gerry Stuuds. 'I'm sure he's already organizing everything in heaven so it will be completely ready for us with just the right Early American furniture, the right curtains, the right rugs, the right paintings, and everything ready for a big, big party, he said. Make a life-giving gesture. About Us | Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary | Billings MT funeral home and The Cold War was still raging, and there was fear Russian agents might use the friendship against Kennedy. Photo / Getty Images. After the assassination of RFK in 1968, the flamboyant Billings transferred his obsessive affection for Jack, to handsome teenager Bobby Jr. David Pitts, the author of "Jack and Lem: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship," told me, "Lem was a gay man and he had a 14-year-old, good-looking kid living in his house with him and there had been rumors because of that. According to Quirk, Billings revealed that his friendship with the future president of the United States "included oral sex, with Jack always on the receiving end. Of course, that gave most ofus the thought - does this guy have a job other than caring for Bobby? ], However, Oppenheimer said, Billings was viewed by many I interviewed for my biography of RFK Jr. as his gay Svengali who guided and literally tried to control every aspect of Bobby Jr.s life from the time he was in his mid-teens., A source had told Oppenheimer, Young Bobby replaced Jack in Lems heart of hearts.. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Unlike Millbrook and Pomfret, Palfrey Street was a day school, so Billings arranged with the Brode family of Cambridge to house and feed him, and watch out for him. Lem Billings relaxed on the Kennedys' Palm Beach estate the summer of 1936. Billings had actually fallen in love with Bobby as he had fallen in love with Bobby's uncle Jack when they had become close chums while working together on the Choate [their prep school] yearbook. . In 1962, the Queen, then 35, invited Jackie to a lunch when the First Lady was in London visiting her sister, Lee Radziwill, who lived there with her husband Prince Stanislaw Radziwill. The first time Kirk Lemoyne 'Lem' Billings was introduced to Bobby Kennedy Jr. the two spent several hours alone in the boy's room at fabled Hickory Hill, Robert and Ethel Kennedy's historic, sprawling estate, in bucolic McLean, Virginia. President John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas 50 years ago, leaving behind a mourning nation and his gay best friend, Lem Billings. ', As Quirk further observed, 'Jack was in love with Lem being in love with him and considered him the ideal follower-adorer.'. He was 65 years old. Ethel's alcoholic, philandering brother, George Skakel Jr., actually booted Billings in the a** at the church, knocking him into the aisle. Or see our headlights slicing through the trees? Bayard explores the beginnings of the romance between the future Mrs. Kennedy, then the inquiring photographer for the Washington Times-Herald, and young Congressman John F. Kennedy, with Jack's best friend, Lem Billings, serving as a "go-between" for the lovers in 1950s Washington, D.C. Billings was a prep school roommate of Kennedy, an usher at his wedding and a campaigner for his successful 1960 presidential bid. From the book Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard. Young Jfk. Woodward Obituaries | Local Obits for Woodward, OK - Legacy.com Irelands most popular baby names of 2022 - by county! If pressed, she'll fall back on the weather. Later Years. "Will we be chauffeuring her fianc, too? Mind you, there's nothing in that honorific Miss to signify a lady of distinction. The biographer Sally Bedell Smith, referred to Billings in one of her books as "probably the saddest of the Kennedy widows.". Among the snapshots is one that shows a handsome pre-presidential Kennedy sunning himself, sprawled on a chaise at Patriarch Joe Kennedy's Palm Beach estate. Billings was buried near his mother's grave in his hometown of Pittsburgh. In Victorian and Jack first met at Choate Rosemary Hall in 1933 when Lem was 17 and Jack was ", But Billings was embarrassed about his effeminate mannerisms - he'd remain publicly closeted for his lifetime. Quirk alleged thatBilling and Kennedys relationship included oral sex with JFK always being on the receiving end. Lem Billings '39's Life | Princeton Alumni Weekly Try again later. Lem even wrote John a love note on toilet paper . After the assassination of Robert Kennedy, a distraught Ethel turned over her son, Bobby Jr., to Billings to act as his surrogate father, sparking her brother-in-law, Terrien - RFK's roommate at the University of Virginia law school - to wonder why she would allow "Lem to have such an intimate relationship" with her troubled third born, who would go on to have a a bizarre relationship with Billings, including the taking of drugs. His classmates were worried that he was going to kill himself, that we were going to find him dead.'. I have one additional comment, probably to be regarded as politically incorrect. Given that Billings was a heavy-drinking 14:55 EDT 13 Oct 2015. She never visited Bobby,' said James Hejduk, who had arrived to teach music at the same time that Bobby began his Millbrook matriculation. Lem Billings (right) was Kennedy's roommate at Choate and Princeton and an usher at his wedding, Spending most weekends at the White House during JFK's presidency, he became known as the "first. From 1946 to 1948, Lem attended Harvard Business School. 'It was kept 'very hush-hush,' recalled the music teacher James Hejduk. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Did OJ Simpson's Son Jason Kill Nicole Brown & Ron Goldman? Kirk Lemoyne (Lem) Billings. One of the leaders of the group, Rob O. It was Bobby Kennedy Jr. who gave the eulogy. Lem was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1916 25 Things You May Not Know About JFK - Purple Clover The Man Who Loved JFK - The Gay & Lesbian Review 'I can't say that I saw him put a needle in his arm,' he stated, 'but he talked like he was and he bragged about it. Well, where? By clicking on a service below, you can view the obituary and service details, leave a condolence, send flowers, and if requested by the family attend a service live with remote attendance or view the . Jackie & Me Kindle Edition - amazon.com But Kennedy's reaction to Billings gay come-on soon changed and he became more amenable to his friend's advances, according to the writer Lawrence J. Quirk, author of 'The Kennedys in Hollywood.' 'I had written a report on Bobby, and Billings answered it and didn't agree with me, and that's when I thought, "Uh-oh, he's in charge here. Young Bobby replaced Jack in Lem's heart of hearts, one source told Oppenheimer, who is the author of the book Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And The Dark Side Of The Dream. When their brother Bobby married Ethel Skakel in a royal-like wedding in Greenwich, Connecticut, the staunchly conservative republican and seemingly homophobic Skakels let their feelings about Billings' gayness be known. A telephone conversation between President Kennedy and Lem Billings. Was it best that he stay and risk the possibility of injuring himself seriously or completely, or was it best for him, as nasty as it was, to ask a Kennedy to leave.'. Billings, was a prep school roommate and then Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. But the one thing that struck me even at that tender age was that I felt Lem was just obsessed with Bobby. The prestigious Kennedy name practically ruled the institution. Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. During the night of May 28, 1981almost two decades after JFK's untimely death - 65-year-old Lem Billings died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack. Lem married Rolla Jean Auer on September 17, 1950. Kirk Lemoyne Billings Memorial Page - Home | Facebook Billings, who was a year older than Jack Kennedy, made his desire known while the two were still at Choate in a bizarre love note, penned on a piece of toilet paper that could be disposed of easily to avoid incrimination at a time when homosexuality was illicit. Writer Gore Vidal once called Billings the chief f****t at Camelot and said Kennedy felt quite comfortable in the company of homosexuals as long as they were smart enough to hold his interest.. Mr. Billings was active in all of John Kennedy's campaigns as well as those of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. I mutter something on the order of yes, I must be, and she smiles. Reprinted by permission. ', Another classmate, Brian Carroll, remembered 'this odd character' Billings, who was always on campus fawning over Bobby: '"Bobby, are you eating? Her moods could swing drastically. A wider smile than I would have guessed possible. I am sure the good Lord knows that heaven is Jesus and Lem and Jack and Bobby loving one another.". But that's the kind of kid he was, deep into bad stuff.'. Try our online preplanning tool. Mr. Billings and Mr. Kennedy. It was Bobby Kennedy Jr. who gave the eulogy. Infuriated, his mother demanded: 'Just leave home. Billings had once told Bobby that when he died he wanted the pall-bearers to be members of Bobby's circle of young friends, whom he knew well and with whom he had done drugs. Lem Billings would play many roles in Bobby's life, as adventurer accompanying him on expeditions in the wild, as fellow druggie, and as his Dear Abby, advising him on who to date and who not to. Obituaries act as quiet reminders to help us to remember them and all we enjoyed with them while they were with us, a celebration of their life. Arrangements are pending at Billings Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Elkhart. Lem was John F Kennedy's best friend. Credit: JFK Presidential Library and Museum. Everything involving Bobby had to go through Billings. Billings had even begun calling Bobby 'Jack' by mistake, and Billings had instructed one of Bobby's close cousins, Christopher Kennedy Lawford, also a drug abuser at the time, to be to Bobby what RFK had been to JFK. RELATED:Britney Spears Blames Her Mom For Conservatorship Inside Lynne Spearss Complicated Role In Singers Life, Quirk explained this 'enabled Jack to sustain his self-delusion that straight men who received oral sex from other males were really only straights looking for sexual release. "And we could have made a very different choice. But by the time he was with his second roommate, Jamie Fanning, the room had just a few photos, and hippie posters had replaced the funereal black sheets. Intimate relationship between JFK and his gay friend For Billings, a year older than the future president, it was love at first sight and from the instant they met Billings was sexually attracted to the handsome scion of America's so-called royal family. Among the faculty there may have been a collective sigh of reliefbecause things with Bobby would have only escalated and the attitude was, okay, he's now the next school's problem.'. According to Quirk, Billings revealed that his friendship with the future president of the United States 'included oral sex, with Jack always on the receiving end. He says Billings even had his own room in the White House, much to Jackie Kennedys chagrin. JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century 1917-1956, 6. Adapted from New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer's explosive new book, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Their close relationship also caused his advisors to fear blackmail and political repercussions from Russian agents. Kirk LeMoyne " Lem " Billings (April 15, 1916 - May 28, 1981) was an American businessman known for his close and long-time friendship with John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family. But I'm stuck with the Kennedys emotionally, and I will be to the end of my life.". His behavior, particularly his drug use, had the administration concerned that if something happened to the young Kennedy, such as an overdose or worse, all hell would come down on the school and tarnish its reputation. The only other adult who was practically a member of the Kennedy family and who was concerned enough about Bobby's welfare to check in on him was the Kennedy family nurse, Luella Hennessey-Donovan. ', By But the man married to Jackie Kennedy was quietly chided for his compulsive philandering. RELATED:Jeffrey Epstein's Relationship With Princess Diana Explored In New Book. He truly loved the Kennedy's and as Jack's best friend. 'But Bobby was doing a little more than some of the rest of us - a little more and maybe harder stuff than the rest of us.'. JFK Tapes - Boston & New York (Lem Billings) - YouTube . JFK's gay widow - Dallas Voice 'There was no gnashing of teeth and sobbing in the context of his leaving. He was also plagued by ill health. Billings had a romantic relationship with JFK's nephew, Bobby Kennedy Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And The Dark Side Of The Dream ', White House visitor: Billings often spent the night at the White House, which upset Jackie Kennedy. As Fanning recalled years later, 'The room was filthy and Bobby let the bird, which perched on the bust of his father, s**t all over the place, including all down that bust of his dead father. Lem P Speer Obituary But was reportedly upset that her husband spent so much time with him, and that he often stayed overnight at the White House. 'Sometimes I answered the phone and I would hear her wispy voice, and then I would get my husband to talk to her.'. The family went back Jack for his health reasons and Lem for his eye sight. 'And there he was hunting rats out of that pile of dead sheep and cow carcasses. I mean, she doesn't look like she belongs there any more than I do, and I briefly wonder if she's a housemaid or a nanny, taking her one allotted evening out. Bobby Kennedy Jr. read the eulogy. All the Kennedys were very much aware of Billings's sexual preference, or suspected it, accepted it, and welcomed him into their exclusive inner circle - practically adopted him - although the patriarch Joe Kennedy found him annoying at times. Sixteen days after RFK was buried, Ethel and her brood were aboard a yacht destined for Hyannis Port and the Kennedy compound. (See below for an exclusive excerpt.). book review of Jack and Lem, The New Haven Register interviewed the author and Quirk claims Billings would later confide in him that his relationship with Kennedy was sexual, to a point, and included oral sex, with Jack always on the receiving end., Their arrangement, Quirk says, enabled Jack to sustain his self-delusion that straight men who received oral sex from other males were really only straights looking for sexual release, and, Jack was in love with Lem being in love with him and considered him the ideal follower adorer.. Take a look inside Dublin's most stylish townhouse, Number 31. Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt from Jackie & Me. Lem Billings was the ultimate "wing man." Billings was quietly gay, at a time when such things were not admitted to, particularly for those people who wanted to stay in high society. 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Lem Billings - Wikipedia whom Lem was also close to, died, Lem became exceedingly depressed and that caused JFK, or 'Jack' as he was known by his close friends and family, had a gay best friend named Lem Billings, who he met in prep school when Kennedy was 15 and Lem . Just a week after his father's funeral, at his brother David's thirteenth birthday party at a grim Hickory Hill, Bobby had spiked everyone's milk with a laxative. Love Irish history? I will stand by him. Lem Billings had a remarkable friendship with JFK that lasted from 1932, when the two met as classmates in prep school, until JFK's assassination in 1963. But then I realize she's never seen Jack's car (or Jack himself, maybe) in the naked light of day. In 1942, Lem joined the Ambulance Corps, an organization that If you need a funeral home you can trust, call today. Standing next to Jack, or lying close beside him in a lawn chaise at the Kennedy oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, as one old photograph showed, Billings appeared to dwarf his chum. As Billings' biographer David Pitts told me, "Once JFK decided that Billings was his best friend - like it or leave, everybody in the family sort of fell in line with that. If you have recently lost a family member or friend, we hope that you will accept our condolences. After Kennedys assassination, Billings was devastated. But was reportedly upset that her husband spent so much time with him, and that he often stayed overnight at the White House. At fourteen and fifteen, Bobby was proving his bad-boy bona fides with Jesse Pinkman zeal. It was he, not Ethel, who handled all of Bobby's expenses 'He would come over fairly frequently for dinner whenever he was in town,' she recalled. Lem Speer Obituary (1928 - 2021) | Billings, Montana - Echovita Clarendon? had no problem with his eye sight and saw action in North Africa. Jfk and his longtime roommate Lem Billings. (Billings was gay) The funeral will be held in Pittsburgh. Jack and Lem on Apple Books . According to biographer James Spada, When Kennedy tired of her, he passed her off to his brother in 1962. Billings had once told Bobby that when he died he wanted the pall-bearers to be members of Bobby's circle of young friends, whom he knew well and with whom he had done drugs. They both kept diaries documenting, in words and pictures, their adventures, mishaps, and observations along the way. Even when Bobby was invited to weekend lunches at the Bontecou estate, it was Billings who accompanied him. Only a very liberal school [like Pomfret] that needed money would take him.'. Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you. A unique and lasting tribute for a . Lem had extremely poor eye sight and a high-pitched voice. Did JFK And Lem Bellings Have A Relationship? Details Of - YourTango In the spring of 1972, with graduation approaching, Bobby took the SAT college board exam, and filled out his application for college. Were I to search his facehis souldown to the most granular level, I would find no clue, for there is perhaps none to find. Billings enthused to RFK and Ethel in his high-pitched voice, which RFK made fun of behind his back. getting discharged in 1946. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings (April 15, 1916 - May 28, 1981) was a close and long-time friend of President John F. Kennedy and the Kennedy family. Something quickens in the column of her neck. In his will he left his Manhattan home to Bobby. JFK's Queer White House - Public Seminar Jack and Lem's Excellent European Adventure, Summer 1937 Jackie, I imagine, is now asking the name of Bobby's daughter or wondering if Eunice will be there and which one is Pat? I let him down.'. Jackie was reportedly upset that her husband spent so much time with Billings and that he often spent the night at the White House. The one iconic photo of President John F. Kennedy up close and personal with a woman other than Jackie shows him and his attorney general brother, Robert, coming on to curvaceous Marilyn Monroe at a party, reports Daily Mail. I don't know whether she wrote to Bobby, but she certainly didn't telephone or visit him. White House and advised Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in her redecoration of the Jack's best friend was Lem, and he would want to remind everyone of that today. Biographer Sally Bedell Smith referred to Billings as probably the saddest of the Kennedy widows., RELATED:Details About Kristen Stewarts Fiance Dylan Meyers & Their Adorably Casual Proposal. His appearances were unusual in that you never knew when he was going to show up. She never visited.'. I am sure the good Lord knows that heaven is Jesus and Lem and Jack and Bobby loving one another. On school breaks, Jack often brought Billings home with him, sparking Joe Kennedy to complain to his wife, Rose, 'Do we have to have that q***r around all summer?'. He once called Billings the 'chief f****t at Camelot.' Published in The Elkhart Truth from Feb. 20 to Feb. 21, 2023. It just reeks of arrogance, but I did not experience Bobby as arrogant.'. The biographer Sally Bedell Smith, referred to Billings in one of her books as 'probably the saddest of the Kennedy widows.'. 'I never could figure out why Ethel would let Lem have such an intimate relationship,' he once declared. The Brodes didn't mind that Billings was gay and had such a close relationship with Bobby.