Author, Actor, Kennedy Scion Christopher Lawford Dead at 63

In this Oct. 27, 2012 file photo, Christopher Kennedy Lawford appears at the LA Friendly House Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif. Patrick Kennedy says Lawford died of a heart attack, in Vancouver on Sept. 4, 2018. Todd Williamson/Invision for LA friendly House/File

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Author and actor Christopher Kennedy Lawford, who was born into political and Hollywood royalty, sank into substance abuse and addiction and rose to become a well-known advocate for sobriety and recovery, has died.

Lawford died of a heart attack Sept. 4 in Vancouver, Canada, his cousin, former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, told The Associated Press. He was 63.