Random Modern Descendants Of The Most Famous Assassination Victims In History (11 items)

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  (#10) The Notorious B.I.G.

  • Dec. at 25 (1972-1997)

  Few family histories come with a reputation as illustrious as that of Christopher Wallace, AKA Biggie Smalls, AKA the Notorious B.I.G. After sustaining four gunshot wounds from a drive-by shooting, the rapper died at the age of 24 on March 9, 1997. He had two children, and both have entered careers that allow them to keep their father's legacy alive.

  Daughter T'yanna Wallace is the CEO of Notoriouss, a clothing company inspired by her dad's name and style. Biggie's son Christopher Wallace, or CJ, got his big break in acting by starring as his father in 2009's Notorious. CJ has also picked up occasional roles since then, including a recurring stint on a TV series, Scream. In addition, he has started a burgeoning rap career.
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  (#9) Alexander Litvinenko

  • Died at 44 (1962-2006)

  Defected Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was the world's first-known assassination victim who died from radiation. On November 1, 2006, Litvinenko had unknowingly consumed polonium-laced tea at a London hotel. After spending roughly three weeks in the hospital, Litvinenko passed away on November 23, 2006. Some suspected Vladimir Putin had a hand in the act, but the Russian government denied any involvement.

  The Litvinenko family, including his widow, Marina, and his son named Anatoly, have continued to fight for the truth. After a 10-year inquiry, the Litvinenkos heard evidence that Putin had indeed ordered the polonium poisoning, though the Russian leader has yet to take responsibility. 

  Anatoly pledged to continue the hunt for justice, stating, "I feel a sense of duty. My father did a hell of a lot to get me to this country to make sure I was safe. I need to respect that and do whatever I can to honor his memory. Finding the truth is the closest we can get to justice for my father."
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  (#11) Grigori Rasputin

  • Dec. at 47 (1869-1916)

  The death of Grigori Rasputin wasn't the spectacle commonly portrayed by popular history, but someone did take out the legendary Russian mystic in 1916 - on the brink of the Russian Revolution. His legacy remains a complicated one in Russia, and at least one of his relatives - great-granddaughter Laurence Huot-Solovieff - aims to change it.

  Huot-Solovieff, who grew up in France, is the only surviving Rasputin descendant to visit Russia. She has done so with the goal of exposing the "truth" about her ancestor: "He is either demonized or deified, and my mission is to try and make his image look more human, more normal."
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  (#7) Robert Kennedy

  • 46

  On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy died at the hand of Sirhan Sirhan. Several of Kennedy's descendants continue his unfinished work in American politics, including his grandson, Joe Kennedy III, a member of the House of Representatives. In 2013, Joe took over Barney Frank's seat in Massachusetts's fourth district.

  In early 2018, Joe made headlines when Democrats chose him to give the party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address.
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  (#6) John F. Kennedy

  • Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)

  Tragedy has plagued the Kennedy family throughout American history, and perhaps no moment was more tragic than John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination. The Kennedy family curse seems to have not affected the Schlossbergs, however, as several of John and Jackie Kennedy's grandchildren are thriving today.

  Rose Schlossberg is an up-and-coming entertainer with a web series, End Times Girls Club, which launched in 2016. The series satirizes the struggle to stay feminine after an apocalypse.

  Jack Schlossberg inherited more than a name from his famous grandfather. Many consider Jack a JFK doppelgänger. He studies at Harvard Law and has also started an acting career, appearing as Officer Jack Hammer in an episode of Blue Bloods.
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  (#2) Mahatma Gandhi

  • Dec. at 79 (1869-1948)

  Mahatma Gandhi, who led the Indian independence movement against Britain, left a massive impact on India. Given Gandhi's role in ending British colonial rule, it's fitting that one of his great-granddaughters, Leela Gandhi, is an academic in the field of postcolonial theory. She has written extensively on the subject and is a professor at the Watson Institute at Brown University.

  One of Gandhi's great-grandsons took a different approach to historiography. Tushar Gandhi made waves when he published a book, Let’s Kill Gandhi, about his great-grandfather's 1948 fate. Though history says Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhi, Tushar's book presents a conspiracy theory about a group of Brahmins who had planned the hit. Most historians disagree with his arguments, but Tushar has continued to push for a re-opening of the investigation.

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