Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy and a fierce human rights advocate, has died after struggling a stroke, a member of the family confirmed to CBS News. She was 96 years previous.
She suffered a stroke in her sleep on Oct. 3, her grandson Joe Kennedy III posted on social media earlier this week. He described his “incredible grandmother” as a “strong woman who has led a remarkably fulfilling life.”
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In a submit Thursday, he wrote, “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.”
A matriarch of the Kennedy political dynasty, Ethel Kennedy gave delivery to her eleventh youngster, Rory, six months after her husband was assassinated in 1968 as he celebrated his victory in California's pivotal Democratic presidential major.
In the months between her husband's dying and the delivery of her youngest youngster, she based the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation in October 1968. The group celebrates her husband's and others' dedication to human rights and public service by supporting packages for rights advocates round the world.
“For more than half a century, my mom has been a champion for justice, standing with human rights defenders around the globe,” her daughter Kerry wrote on Facebook on April 11, her mom's 96 birthday.
Ethel Skakel Kennedy was born in Chicago in 1928 and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father constructed a profitable coal enterprise, making the household rich. She was simply 17 years previous when she met her future husband, Bobby Kennedy, who was courting her sister Patricia at the time, according to the JFK Library website.
Ethel and Bobby married on June 17, 1950, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwich. (*96*) about public service, the couple campaigned for Bobby's brother, John F. Kennedy, in his 1960 run for the presidency. Bobby Kennedy served as lawyer common in his brother's administration.
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After JFK's assassination in 1963, she continued to help Bobby as he pursued his political profession. He was a main contender for the White House when he was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1968.
After her husband's dying, along with her work at the human rights heart, Ethel Kennedy co-chaired the Coalition of Gun Control and was concerned with many different human rights organizations.
President Obama honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House in 2014, the place she was praised for her perseverance and generosity.
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“She's gone to extraordinary lengths to build support for causes close to her heart,” Obama mentioned at the ceremony.
The household weathered extra tragedies over the years, together with the deaths of two of her youngsters — David, who died of a drug overdose in 1984, and Michael, killed in a snowboarding accident in 1997. In 1999, her daughter Rory's marriage ceremony was marred by tragedy when her nephew, John F. Kennedy Jr. and his spouse, Carolyn, died in a aircraft crash en path to the Cape Cod marriage ceremony.
Ethel Kennedy is survived by 9 of her youngsters and a giant prolonged household, many of whom are additionally concerned in public life. Her son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president in 2024, dropping out in August to help former President Donald Trump.
