Kyle Kennedy's death

Kyle Francis Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died peacefully at her Westwood, Massachusetts home on Sept. 21.

Age and cause of death

She was 42 and died six years after a spinal cord injury left her paralyzed in 2020.

Family background

Kyle was mother to Conor, 12, and Declan, 10, and daughter to Michael Kennedy and Victoria Denise Gifford.

Children and legacy

She had a daughter Josephine who died shortly after birth in 2014 and a son Liam Kerr.

Education and career

Kyle studied history at Georgetown University and earned master’s degrees in early education and education policy from Pace and Harvard.

Obituary highlights

Her obituary noted she was 'blessed with a formidable intellect, dry wit, and beauty.'

Early life and achievements

Kyle ran the Boston Marathon in under four hours in 2019 despite a driving rainstorm.

Spinal cord injury

She sustained a life-altering spinal cord injury in 2020 that resulted in long-term paralysis and disability.

Advocacy work

Kyle advocated for people living with disabilities, including testifying at the Massachusetts state house on discrimination in health care.

Family connections

Kyle is survived by her brother Michael Kennedy Jr., sister Rory Gifford Kennedy, and former husband Liam Kerr.

Recent family tragedy

Kyle died less than a year after her second-cousin Tatiana Schlossberg died from a rare blood cancer in December.

Tatiana Schlossberg's story

Tatiana, granddaughter to John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, published an essay reflecting on her terminal illness and family tragedies.

Tatiana's essay

Tatiana wrote, 'For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter.'

“For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter”

Tatiana's death

Tatiana died at 35 in December after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a rare blood cancer.

Kennedy family history

The Kennedy family has faced multiple tragedies, including JFK Jr.'s death in 1999 and Rosemary Kennedy's lobotomy in 1944.

Family legacy

Kyle's death highlights the Kennedy family's history of health challenges and early deaths.