Ethel Kennedy, social activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, dies at 96

Boston, Massachusetts — 

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children aft helium was assassinated and remained dedicated to societal causes and the family's bequest for decades thereafter, died connected Thursday, her household said. She was 96.

Kennedy had been hospitalized aft suffering a changeable successful her slumber connected Oct. 3, her household said.

"It is with our hearts afloat of emotion that we denote the passing of our astonishing grandmother," Joe Kennedy III posted connected X. "She died this greeting from complications related to a changeable suffered past week."

"Along with a lifetime's enactment successful societal justness and quality rights, our parent leaves down 9 children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great grandchildren on with galore nieces and nephews, each of whom emotion her dearly," the household connection said.

The Kennedy matriarch, whose children were Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Max, Douglas and Rory, was 1 of the past remaining members of a procreation that included President John F. Kennedy. Her household said she had precocious enjoyed seeing galore of her relatives, earlier falling ill.

A millionaire's girl who joined the aboriginal legislator and lawyer wide successful 1950, Ethel Kennedy had endured much decease by the property of 40, for the full satellite to see, than astir would successful a lifetime.

She was by Robert F. Kennedy's broadside erstwhile helium was fatally changeable successful the room of the Ambassador Hotel successful Los Angeles connected June 5, 1968, conscionable aft winning the Democratic statesmanlike superior successful California. Her brother-in-law, President John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated successful Dallas little than 5 years earlier.

Her parents were killed successful a level clang successful 1955, and her member died successful a 1966 crash. Her lad David Kennedy aboriginal died of a cause overdose, lad Michael Kennedy successful a skiing mishap and nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. successful a level crash. Another nephew, Michael Skakel, was recovered blameworthy of execution successful 2002, though a justice successful 2013 ordered a caller proceedings and the Connecticut Supreme Court vacated his condemnation successful 2018.

In 2019, she was grieving again aft granddaughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill died of an evident cause overdose.

"One wonders however overmuch this household indispensable beryllium expected to absorb," household person Philip Johnson, laminitis of the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation, told the Boston Herald aft Michael Kennedy's death.

Ethel Kennedy sustained herself done her religion and devotion to family.

"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 Saorise and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie. Please support our parent successful your hearts and prayers," the household connection said.

Ethel's mother-in-law, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, initially disquieted astir however she would grip truthful overmuch tragedy.

"I knew however hard it was going to beryllium for her to rise that large household without the guiding relation and power that Bobby would person provided," Rose recalled successful her memoir, "Times to Remember." "And, of course, she realized this too, afloat and keenly. Yet she did not springiness way."

She founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights soon aft husband's decease and advocated for causes including weapon power and quality rights. She seldom spoke astir her husband's assassination. When her filmmaker daughter, Rory, brought it up successful the 2012 HBO documentary, "Ethel," she couldn't stock her grief.

"When we mislaid Daddy ..." she began, past teared up and asked that her youngest girl "talk astir thing else."

Presidential Medal of Freedom

In 2008, she joined brother-in-law Ted Kennedy and niece Caroline Kennedy successful endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, likening him to her precocious husband. She made respective trips to the White House during the Obama years, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom successful 2014 and gathering Pope Francis successful 2015.

Many of her progeny became good known. Daughter Kathleen became lieutenant politician of Maryland; Joseph represented Massachusetts successful Congress; Courtney joined Paul Hill, who had been wrongfully convicted of an IRA bombing; Kerry became a quality rights activistic and president of the RFK center; Christopher ran for politician of Illinois; Max served arsenic a authoritative successful Philadelphia and Douglas reported for Fox News Channel.

Her lad Robert F. Kennedy Jr., besides became a nationalist figure, though not arsenic a wide successful the household tradition. First known arsenic an biology lawyer, helium evolved into a conspiracy theorist who dispersed mendacious theories astir vaccines. He ran for president arsenic an autarkic aft concisely challenging President Joe Biden, and his sanction remained connected ballots successful aggregate states aft helium suspended his run and endorsed Donald Trump.

Ethel Kennedy did not remark publically connected her son's actions, though respective different household members denounced him.

Decades earlier, she seemed to thrive connected her in-laws' rising power. She was an enthusiastic backer of JFK's 1960 tally and during the Kennedy medication hosted immoderate of the era's astir well-attended parties astatine their Hickory Hill property successful McLean, Virginia, including 1 wherever historiographer Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was pushed afloat clothed into the swimming pool. In the Kennedy spirit, she besides was known arsenic an avid and highly competitory tennis subordinate and a compulsive planner.

"Petite and peppy Ethel, who doesn't look 1 spot the outdoorsy type, considers outdoor enactment truthful important for the children that she has arranged her engaged Cabinet-wife docket truthful she tin personally instrumentality them connected 2 regular outings," The Washington Post reported successful 1962.

In February of that year, she accompanied her hubby connected a round-the-world goodwill tour, stopping successful Japan, Hong Kong, Italy and different countries. She said it was important for Americans to conscionable mean radical overseas.

"People person a chiseled liking for Americans," she told the Post. "But the Communists person been truthful vocal, it was a astonishment for immoderate Asians to perceive America's constituent of view. It is bully for Americans to question and get our viewpoint across."

Kennedy was calved Ethel Skakel connected April 11, 1928, successful Chicago, the sixth of 7 children of ember magnate George Skakel and Ann Brannack Skakel, a devout Roman Catholic. She grew up successful a 31-room English state manor location successful Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended Greenwich Academy earlier graduating from the Convent of the Sacred Heart successful the Bronx successful 1945.

She met Robert Kennedy done his sister Jean, her roommate astatine Manhattanville College successful New York. They moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, wherever helium finished his past twelvemonth of instrumentality schoolhouse astatine the University of Virginia, and past successful 1957, they bought Hickory Hill from by John and Jacqueline Kennedy, who had bought it successful 1953.

Robert Kennedy became main counsel to the Senate Select Committee successful 1957. He aboriginal was appointed lawyer wide by his brother, the recently elected President Kennedy.

She had supported her hubby successful his palmy 1964 run for the U.S. Senate successful New York and his consequent statesmanlike bid. Pregnant with their 11th kid erstwhile helium was gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan, her look of daze and fearfulness was captured by photographers successful images that remained indelible decades later.

The assassination traumatized the family, particularly lad David Kennedy, who watched the quality successful a edifice room. He was conscionable days earlier his 13th day and ne'er recovered, struggling with addiction problems for years and overdosing successful 1984.

In 2021, she said Sirhan Sirhan should not beryllium released from prison, a presumption not shared by immoderate others successful her family. Two years later, a California sheet denied him parole.

Although Ethel Kennedy was linked to respective men aft her husband's death, astir notably vocalist Andy Williams, she ne'er remarried.

In April 2008, Ethel Kennedy visited Indianapolis connected the 40th day of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A monument determination commemorated King's decease and the code her hubby had fixed that nighttime successful 1968, which was credited with averting rioting successful the city.

"Of each the Kennedy women, she was the 1 I would extremity up admiring the most," Harry Belafonte would constitute of her. "She wasn't playacting. She looked astatine you and instantly got what you were about. Often successful the coming years, erstwhile Bobby was balking astatine thing we wanted him to bash for the movement, I'd instrumentality my lawsuit to Ethel. 'We person to speech to him,' she'd say, and she would."

Ethel Kennedy joined President Obama and erstwhile President Bill Clinton — each held 1 of her hands — arsenic they climbed stairs to laic a wreath astatine President Kennedy's gravesite during a November 2013 observance of the 50th day of JFK's death.

The nonprofit halfway she founded remains dedicated to advancing quality rights done litigation, advocacy, acquisition and inspiration, giving yearly awards to journalists, authors and others who person made important contributions to quality rights.

She besides was progressive successful the Coalition of Gun Control, Special Olympics, and the Earth Conservation Corps. And she showed up successful person, participating successful a 2016 objection successful enactment of higher wage for farmworkers successful Florida and a 2018 hunger onslaught against the Trump administration's migration policies.

Hickory Hill was sold successful 2009 for $8.25 million, and Ethel Kennedy divided her clip betwixt homes successful Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach, Florida.