On October 20, 1968, Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis on his private Ionian island of Skorpios, seeking the privacy and security she and her children required. According to personal secretary and confidante Kiki Feroudji Mutsatsos, whose memoir The Onassis Women details the famous dynamic, the marriage immediately thrust the former First Lady into intense public scrutiny. Losing her U.S. Secret Service protection as a presidential widow, she faced relentless media attention and paparazzi who dubbed her “Jackie O,” while critics publicly condemned her due to Onassis’s prior divorce from his still-living first wife, Athina Livanos.
Real Estate Empire and Marital Dynamics
During their marriage, Jacqueline and Aristotle Onassis divided their time among six distinct properties. Their residences included her 15-room Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan, her New Jersey horse farm in Peapack-Gladstone, his Avenue Foch apartment in Paris, his home in Athens, the private island of Skorpios, and his luxury yacht, the Christina O. While Onassis ensured that her children maintained ties to the Kennedy family through frequent visits from Ted Kennedy, Mutsatsos notes that the shipping magnate viewed his high-profile marriage as a symbol of status, securing the former First Lady of the United States through his boundless financial resources, private airline, and personal security team.
The Enduring Presence of Maria Callas
Despite his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis maintained a connection with opera diva Maria Callas, whom he first met in 1957 while both were married to other people. According to Mutsatsos, Callas and Onassis “never stopped seeing each other. Never.” Mutsatsos, who managed travel arrangements from the tycoon’s office, stated that Callas lived on Avenue Georges Mandel, just blocks away from Onassis’s Avenue Foch apartment in Paris. Staff members regularly reported that Onassis was exhausted from hosting Callas during her visits. While Jacqueline Kennedy adopted a strategy of quiet indifference—advised by Onassis’s sister, Artemis Garofalidis, to ignore the behavior rather than argue—Callas frequently clashed with Onassis over press coverage of his personal life, telling confidantes she refused to be compared to the former First Lady.
Did you know?
According to Kiki Feroudji Mutsatsos, Jacqueline Kennedy never physically confronted or yelled at Aristotle Onassis regarding his secret visits to Maria Callas, instead choosing to observe his actions with calculated patience before addressing his conduct.
Decline, Estate Disputes, and Legacy
The health of Aristotle Onassis deteriorated rapidly following the death of his son, Alexandros Onassis, in a 1973 plane crash. Onassis died of respiratory failure at age 69 on March 15, 1975, in Paris. Under Greek law, which limits inheritance for non-citizen spouses, Jacqueline faced legal battles before finally agreeing to a 26 million dollar settlement from Onassis’s daughter and sole heir, Christina Onassis, in exchange for relinquishing all further claims to the estate. Callas, devastated by the death of Onassis, subsequently withdrew from public life and died of a heart attack on September 3, 1977, at age 53.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jacqueline Kennedy lose her Secret Service protection?
Jacqueline Kennedy lost her right to official protection from the U.S. Secret Service when she married Aristotle Onassis in 1968 and legally changed her name to Jacqueline Onassis.
How much did Jacqueline Onassis receive from the estate settlement?
Following two years of legal proceedings, Jacqueline Onassis agreed to a 26 million dollar settlement from Christina Onassis, the shipping magnate’s daughter and sole heir.
Who was Kiki Feroudji Mutsatsos?
Kiki Feroudji Mutsatsos served as the personal secretary and confidential assistant to Aristotle Onassis, later documenting their lives and the famous relationship dynamic in her memoir, The Onassis Women.