A statement from Brown University

John F. Kennedy Jr., Brown University Class of 1983

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Laura Freid, executive vice president of Public Affairs and University Relations at Brown University, today (July 19) issued the following statement:

The Brown University family joins all Americans and people around the world in mourning the untimely loss of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette.

Just this past spring, John told me that his four years as a Brown student were among his most treasured. He was a reluctant celebrity who sought no special treatment, and found at Brown a way to enjoy being just one of about 1,200 members of the class of 1983.

After graduation, he was often in the public eye. But Brown knew him for his private acts of service. John recently asked how he could best serve the University, and had agreed to serve on a Board of Trustee's advisory committee on communications and public relations.

John will be deeply missed at Brown. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Kennedy and Bessette families."