Maurice Tempelsman, Jackie Kennedy’s Last Love, Dies at 95

Maurice Tempelsman, the diamond magnate and longtime companion of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, has died at the age of 95.

According to The New York Times, his son Leon said Tempelsman passed away on Saturday, Aug. 23, from complications following a fall.

Born on Aug. 26, 1929, in Antwerp, Belgium, Tempelsman was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. When Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, his family fled to New York City. He later studied for two years at New York University before leaving to join his father’s diamond business, Leon Tempelsman & Son.

By the 1950s, Tempelsman had become a major player in the diamond industry, convincing the U.S. government to purchase and stockpile African industrial diamonds as strategic materials. His efforts positioned him as a key intermediary between African suppliers and Washington, forging ties with nations such as Ghana and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo).

His influence extended beyond business. A committed supporter of the Democratic Party, Tempelsman became a prominent donor and developed friendships with high-ranking political figures, including John F. Kennedy’s speechwriter Ted Sorensen, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, and national security adviser Anthony Lake during the Clinton administration.

In 1960, Tempelsman arranged a meeting between President-elect Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and African mining officials. The following year, he and his wife, Lilly Burkos, attended a state dinner where he and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis began a friendship after conversing briefly in French. He continued to correspond with her after President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and her marriage to Aristotle Onassis in 1968.

Their relationship deepened years later, following Aristotle Onassis’ death in 1975. By the early 1980s, Tempelsman and Kennedy Onassis were often seen together at public events. They shared a love of art, culture, music, and the French language. Tempelsman was at her side through her battle with lymphatic cancer in 1993, moving his office into her apartment so he could care for her. He also served as her financial adviser, helping her grow the $26 million estate left to her by Aristotle Onassis into a far larger fortune.

Following her death in 1994, Tempelsman honored her memory in unique ways. At the request of John F. Kennedy Jr., he had a replica made of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ diamond-studded “swimming ring” so it could be used as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s wedding band.

Tempelsman remained married to Lilly Burkos until her death in 2022. Together, they had three children — Leon, Marcy, and Rena. He is survived by his children, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

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