No, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the mother of John F. Kennedy, Jr., never met his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Kennedy Onassis died on May 19, 1994, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma about the time her son began dating Bessette Kennedy seriously. He never introduced the two and allegedly regretted it. Bessette Kennedy was often compared to her mother-in-law: The two shared a Catholic background, an elegant sense of style, and a cautiousness toward publicity.