# Kyle Kennedy Dies at 42 After Spinal Cord Injury

> Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, dies at 42 following spinal cord injury six years prior.
- Title: Kyle Kennedy Dies at 42 After Spinal Cord Injury · E! Online
- Summary: Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, dies at 42 following spinal cord injury six years prior.
- Keywords: kyle kennedy, robert f kennedy, spinal cord injury, bobby kennedy, caroline kennedy, tatiana schlossberg, kennedy family, death, westwood massachusetts, obituary, entertainment, celebrity
- Source: E! Online — https://eonline.com/news/1437277/bobby-kennedys-granddaughter-kyle-dead-at-42-after-spinal-cord-injury
- Published: 2026-10-20T16:21:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: kyle kennedy, robert f kennedy, spinal cord injury, bobby kennedy, caroline kennedy, tatiana schlossberg, kennedy family, death, westwood massachusetts, obituary, entertainment, celebrity
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died at 42 after a spinal cord injury in 2020.