Ethel Kennedy dead: Widow of US senator Robert F. Kennedy dies aged 96 after stroke complications
Ethel Kennedy, the widow of assassinated US senator Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 96.
Her grandson, Joseph Kennedy III, confirmed the news on social media, revealing that she died from complications related to a stroke.
The statement read: "It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week. Along with a lifetime's work in social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly."
Ethel Kennedy spent her final years residing at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, where she had lived with her family for decades.
The widow of Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in his honour. Her work earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014, awarded by President Barack Obama.
Ethel Kennedy’s life was marked by tragedy. Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963, followed by her husband five years later. She also faced personal loss with the deaths of her sons, David, from a drug overdose in 1985, and Michael, in a skiing accident in 1997. Her nephew, John F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Carolyn, died in a 1999 plane crash, and her granddaughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill passed away in 2019 from an overdose at the family compound.
However, the Kennedy family continued to be a prominent force in American politics. Ethel’s eldest son, Joseph Kennedy II, served in Congress, and her grandson, Joseph Kennedy III, followed in his footsteps, representing Massachusetts in the US House of Representatives. Another son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently ran an independent campaign for president, though his decision to endorse former President Donald Trump sparked family division. Several members of the Kennedy family publicly opposed the endorsement, stating it was a betrayal of their family values.
Ethel Kennedy also made headlines in 2021 when she opposed a California parole board's recommendation to release Sirhan Sirhan, her husband’s assassin. While some of her children supported the decision, Ethel and most of the family did not.