Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of former US attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, has died at the age of 42.
Kennedy died peacefully at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, on 21 September, according to an obituary published by Burke Funeral Homes. No cause of death has been disclosed.
She had suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2020, which left her with long-term paralysis, disability and other medical challenges.
Kyle Kennedy’s career in education
Born in Washington DC, Kennedy studied history at Georgetown University before completing postgraduate degrees in early education at Pace University and education policy and management at Harvard University.
She joined Teach for America after university and spent two years teaching in New York City’s public school system. She later worked in education reform and advocated for improved opportunities for disadvantaged children and people living with disabilities.
In the years following her spinal cord injury, Kennedy also campaigned on disability rights and testified at a Massachusetts state house hearing about discrimination in healthcare affecting disabled people.
She was the daughter of Michael L. Kennedy, an attorney and businessman who died in a skiing accident at Aspen Mountain in Colorado in 1997. Her grandfather, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Los Angeles in 1968 while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Kennedy was also predeceased by her infant daughter, Josephine, who died a few days after birth. Josephine was the twin sister of Kennedy’s son Conor.
She is survived by her sons, Conor and Declan; her former husband, Liam; her mother, Victoria; her brother, Michael, and sister, Rory, as well as their families. Funeral services were private.
