Ethel Kennedy, RFK widow, dies at 96 after stroke

Ethel Kennedy, a quality rights advocator and the widow of slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, died Thursday pursuing a changeable she suffered past week.

Her grandson, the erstwhile Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, shared the quality Thursday connected X, saying she died owed to complications from a changeable she suffered successful her sleep aboriginal Thursday.

“It is with our hearts afloat of emotion that we denote the passing of our astonishing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy,” her grandson wrote. “Along with a lifetime’s enactment successful societal justness and quality rights, our parent leaves down 9 children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, on with galore nieces and nephews, each of whom emotion her dearly.”

He continued: “She was a devout Catholic and a regular communicant, and we are comforted successful knowing she is reunited with the emotion 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.”

The matriarch of 1 of the astir well-known governmental families successful America had eleven children, calved from 1951 to 1968. Her youngest was calved six months aft her hubby was killed.

She was by Robert Kennedy’s broadside erstwhile helium was fatally changeable successful the room of the Ambassador Hotel successful Los Angeles connected June 5, 1968, soon aft the legislator from New York won the Democratic statesmanlike superior successful California.

Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated successful Dallas less than 5 years earlier.

Following her husband’s death, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights enactment to transportation connected his “legacy and forge up with the unfinished work―all successful pursuit of the imagination of a much conscionable and peaceful world,” according to its website.

Ethel went connected to enactment crossed respective different quality rights organizations, including the Coalition of Gun Control, which earned her the Congressional Medal of Freedom successful 2014.

“You don’t messiness with Ethel,’’ President Obama said astatine the time. He added that her “love of household is matched lone by her devotion to her nation.”

With News Wire Services