Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, has died at the age of 42.
According to her obituary, the teacher and mother of two passed away peacefully at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, on September 21. News of her death became public only within the past few days.
As of this writing, her cause of death has not been disclosed. The local town clerk told PEOPLE that the matter remains pending.
Kyle Francis Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C., on July 6, 1984. Her father, Michael Kennedy, was the sixth of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy’s 11 children. Her mother, Victoria Gifford, is the daughter of the late football star and broadcaster Frank Gifford.
Kyle was one of Bobby and Ethel’s 34 grandchildren, yet she chose a path that kept her far removed from politics. Following college, she joined Teach For America and worked as a teacher in New York City. She later earned degrees from Georgetown, Pace University, and Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Throughout her career, she focused on advancing early childhood education, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to reports, Kyle experienced a serious spinal cord injury in 2020 that left her paralyzed. From that point forward, she faced the lasting consequences of the injury, including disability and other medical difficulties.
Her obituary explains that those years brought significant challenges, but she continued to maintain her sharp wit and determination. She devoted herself to being the best possible mother to her sons while also using her experiences to speak up for others navigating similar circumstances.
Kyle had also experienced profound personal loss. She was only 13 when her father, Michael, died in a skiing accident in Aspen on New Year’s Eve in 1997.
Years later, she and her former husband, Liam Kerr, endured another heartbreaking loss when their infant daughter, Josephine, died just days after her birth. Josephine was the twin sister of their son Conor.
Kyle is survived by her sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10. Her former husband, her mother Victoria, her brother Michael, her sister Rory, and several nieces and nephews also remain among her surviving family members.
Our thoughts are with Kyle’s sons and the entire Kennedy family as they navigate this difficult time.