Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late US Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, died this morning, October 10, her family has confirmed. She was 96 years old.
"It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy," Ethel's children said in a statement on Thursday morning.
"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.
“She was a devout Catholic and a daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary; her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie.
“Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers.”
It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy. Please keep our mother in your hearts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/bdIQFsC0CS
— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) October 10, 2024
The announcement of Ethel's passing comes just two days after her family confirmed she had suffered a stroke in her sleep last week.
On October 8, Joseph Kennedy III, the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and Ethel's grandson, announced that Ethel was taken to an area hospital after suffering a stroke in her sleep.
"She is comfortable, she is getting the best care possible, and she is surrounded by family," he said on social media on Tuesday.
"She is, as you may know, a strong woman who has led a remarkably fulfilling
life. We are here looking after her."
Joseph asked for Ethel to be kept in people's thoughts and prayers, while also requesting privacy for the family.
Sharing some news about one of my heroes. pic.twitter.com/kcSqSNfabC
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) October 8, 2024
Ethel Kennedy was born Ethel Skakel on April 11, 1928, in Chicago. Her parents were George Skakel, a businessman of Protestant Dutch descent, and Ann Brannack, a secretary of Irish Catholic descent. Ethel was their sixth child out of seven. George and Ann would meet a tragic end, dying in a private plane crash in Oklahoma in 1955.
Ethel and her siblings were raised primarily in Connecticut. For college, Ethel attended Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in New York, where she befriended a classmate - Jean Kennedy Smith - who would change the course of her life.
Jean, who died in 2020, and Ethel became good friends at Manhattanville, with Ethel soon joining her on family vacations. It was during one such trip to Mont Tremblant in Quebec in December 1945 that she first met Robert F. Kennedy.
Ethel Skakel with John F. Kennedy and Jean Kennedy. (Getty Images)
In 1946, before she and Bobby were married, Ethel hit the campaign trail for John F. Kennedy during his congressional campaign. She later helped her husband with his brother's campaign for president.
Though Robert first dated Ethel's older sister Patricia, Ethel and Robert began dating after their relationship ended. They dated for five years, became engaged in February 1950, and got married on June 17, 1950, in Connecticut.
Ethel and Robert F Kennedy on their wedding day. (John F. Kennedy Library Foundation)
RFK and Ethel's eleven children and years of birth are Kathleen, 1951; Joseph II, 1952; Robert Jr., 1954; David, June 15, 1955 - April 25, 1984; Courtney, 1956; Michael, February 27, 1958 - December 31, 1997; Mary, 1959; Christopher, 1963; Matthew, 1965; Douglas, 1967; Rory, 1968.
Knowing first-hand the dangers of life in the public eye, Ethel still supported RFK's desire to enter the presidential campaign. According to RFK's biographer Evan Thomas, she was her husband's "most consistent advocate of a race for the White House" and supported him on the campaign trail.
Ethel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy on March 6, 1966. (Getty Images)
Right after giving his victory speech for winning the California and South Dakota Democratic primaries, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, on June 5, 1968. He died the following day.
After this, Ethel and her sister-in-law Jackie shared a horrifically tragic bond: both of their husbands - brothers - had been assassinated. On June 6, Jackie wrote Ethel the following condolence letter:
“My Ethel –
No one in the world could have ever been like you were yesterday — except maybe Bobby –
We are going home now — Your phone was busy
You don’t want any more callers you must be so tired — I stayed up till 6:30 last night just thinking — and praying for you — and for you in the months ahead –
I love you so much –
You know that anything — Stas will take little Bobby to Africa — I’ll take them around the world + to the moon + back — anything to help you + them now and always –
With my deepest deepest love
Jackie”
Adding to the senseless tragedy, Ethel was pregnant with Rory, her youngest child with RFK, at the time of his death. Rory was born on December 12, 1968, just under six months after the father was killed.
Ethel publicly stated that she still considered herself married to Bobby and would not marry again, instead devoting herself to furthering his work and legacy.
In the fall of 1968, Ethel and other members of the Kennedy family launched the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial as a living memorial that would carry on his work of implementing change and action in areas struggling with poverty, crime, and human rights violations.
Ethel said at the time: "He wanted to encourage the young people and to help the disadvantaged and discriminated against both here and abroad, and he wanted to promote peace in the world. These will be the goals of the memorial.”
The memorial evolved into the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, which continues that work today.
In 2012, Rory Kennedy made a documentary about her mother. Titled simply "Ethel," the documentary centered on five days of intimate, emotional interviews with Ethel and her children, and footage from their parents' past and their childhoods. It debuted at Sundance and premiered on HBO.
In 2014, Ethel was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Obama for her dedication to "advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating countless ripples of hope to effect change around the world."
In 2018, 90-year-old Ethel made headlines when she mounted a 24-hour fast alongside 50 other members of the Kennedy family to protest Trump's “zero-tolerance” immigration policy.
In September 2021, Ethel said in a statement that her husband's killer, Sirhan Sirhan, should not be granted parole when the matter was up for review with the California Parole Board’s staff. Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately denied Sirhan's parole.
In April, Joseph Kennedy III shared this photo of the Kennedy family gathering to celebrate "world’s most amazing Gramma" Ethel's 96th birthday.
Happy 96th to the World’s most amazing Gramma!! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/6tqe1WT7Hb
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) April 11, 2024
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