Ethel Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy dynasty and widow of former United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy, has died at the age of 96.
The sister-in-law of the late President John F. Kennedy suffered a stroke in her sleep last week and was rushed to the hospital.
She was the mother of eleven children of the late Senator Kennedy, whom she married in 1950, and was one of the last links to the Camelot era.
At the age of 40, she was widowed in 1968, when Robert Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while running for president on the Democratic ticket.
She was pregnant with her youngest daughter at the time, a daughter the senator never got to meet.
Ethel Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy dynasty and widow of former United States Attorney General Robert Kennedy, has died at the age of 96.
Ethel never remarried and dedicated her life to gun control and philanthropy.
After RFK’s assassination, he founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and worked tirelessly for world peace.
She also spent her summers on Cape Cod, at the family’s historic compound in Hyannis Port, but largely stayed out of public life.
His death was announced by former Representative Joe Kennedy III, a grandson, who now serves as US special envoy for Northern Ireland under President Joe Biden.
“It is with loving hearts that we announce the passing of our incredible grandmother, Ethel Kennedy,” Joe Kennedy said on X. “She died this morning from complications related to a stroke she suffered last week.”
“In addition to a lifetime of work for social justice and human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly,” he said.
‘She was a devout Catholic and took communion daily, and we are comforted to know that she has been reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; his sons David and Michael; his daughter-in-law Maria; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie,” said Joe Kennedy. ‘Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.’
It was in 1945 when 17-year-old Ethel became friends and roommates with Jean Kennedy at Sacred Heart College in Manhattanville.
The same year, he met Jean’s brother, Robert, during a ski trip in Quebec, Canada.
At the time, Robert was dating Ethel’s sister Patricia. But when that relationship came to an end, she and Robert began seeing each other.
In 2012, he appeared in a documentary about his life directed by his youngest son, Rory.
Ethel Kennedy with Robert F. Kennedy on their wedding day in Greenwich, CT in 1950. The couple had 11 children.
Ethel Kennedy with her husband, then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy, in 1962
Kennedy was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama on November 24, 2014.
An image of Ethel Kennedy surrounded by her family celebrating her 96th birthday in April shared by her grandson.
In 2014, then-President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian award for “advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction.” “.
During the ceremony, he said she “has touched the lives of countless people around the world with her generosity and grace.”
In 2021, she issued a rare public statement opposing the release of her husband’s killer, Sirhan Sirhan.
California’s parole board recommended his release, but the move was blocked by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In April, Kennedy celebrated her 96th birthday surrounded by her family, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
