CHRISTINA ONASSIS
Born December 11, 1950 in New York
City. The daughter of self-made Greek shipping magnate
Aristotle Socrates Onassis, Christina spent her early
childhood in New York and Switzerland, as much to further her
education as to escape the family’s media scrutiny and her
parent’s divorce. In 1968, her father married Jacqueline
Kennedy, the widow of former President John F. Kennedy. Her
mother, Athina, also remarried, this time to Stavros Niarchos,
who was not only Aristotle’s primary shipping rival, but the
widower of Athina’s sister.
As public interest in her family grew, Christina became
increasingly determined to carve her own path. After dropping
out of Queens College, she married a realtor who was more than
twice her age. The marriage would be the first of four, none
of which lasted more than two years. After the marriage ended,
Christina devoted herself to working at her father’s
headquarters in Monaco. She started as a secretary, but soon
proved herself to be a savvy, intelligent businesswoman.
Before long, she was running the family business.
Unfortunately, Christina’s success in business was
overshadowed by tragedy in her personal life. In the early
1970s, within five years of one another, her brother,
Alexander, her mother and her father would all die of
unrelated circumstances. Though she continued to successfully
run the shipping empire, the press frequently reported of her
addiction to amphetamines and barbiturates. On November 19,
1988, Christina was found dead in a friend's home in
Argentina. Her death was attributed to a heart attack brought
on by years of drug abuse.
Christina is survived by her daughter, Athina, who was born in
1985. Athina lives with her father, Thierry Roussel,
stepmother and three step-siblings in Switzerland and France
and is the sole heiress to the $600 million Onassis fortune
and a $2.4 billion inheritance.
Born December 11, 1950 in New York
City. The daughter of self-made Greek shipping magnate
Aristotle Socrates Onassis, Christina spent her early
childhood in New York and Switzerland, as much to further her
education as to escape the family’s media scrutiny and her
parent’s divorce. In 1968, her father married Jacqueline
Kennedy, the widow of former President John F. Kennedy. Her
mother, Athina, also remarried, this time to Stavros Niarchos,
who was not only Aristotle’s primary shipping rival, but the
widower of Athina’s sister.
As public interest in her family grew, Christina became
increasingly determined to carve her own path. After dropping
out of Queens College, she married a realtor who was more than
twice her age. The marriage would be the first of four, none
of which lasted more than two years. After the marriage ended,
Christina devoted herself to working at her father’s
headquarters in Monaco. She started as a secretary, but soon
proved herself to be a savvy, intelligent businesswoman.
Before long, she was running the family business.
Unfortunately, Christina’s success in business was
overshadowed by tragedy in her personal life. In the early
1970s, within five years of one another, her brother,
Alexander, her mother and her father would all die of
unrelated circumstances. Though she continued to successfully
run the shipping empire, the press frequently reported of her
addiction to amphetamines and barbiturates. On November 19,
1988, Christina was found dead in a friend's home in
Argentina. Her death was attributed to a heart attack brought
on by years of drug abuse.
Christina is survived by her daughter, Athina, who was born in
1985. Athina lives with her father, Thierry Roussel,
stepmother and three step-siblings in Switzerland and France
and is the sole heiress to the $600 million Onassis fortune
and a $2.4 billion inheritance.