Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy, has died at the age of 42 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, her family have said. She died on September 21, according to her obituary.
The cause and manner of death have not been disclosed. Kennedy, a mother of three, suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 2020 which left her permanently paralysed, although the circumstances of the injury have never been made public.
Her family said she had devoted her working life to early childhood education and described her as being “blessed with a formidable intellect, dry wit, and beauty”.
Kennedy was the daughter of Michael Kennedy and Victoria Denise Gifford. She was the niece of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, and the great-niece of former president John F Kennedy.
Her father died in 1997, aged 39, after skiing into a tree while playing football with other members of the Kennedy family. Kennedy’s daughter Josephine died days after being born in 2014.
She is survived by her two sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10. Kennedy was married to Liam Kerr.
Although she largely remained outside the public spotlight, her links to the prominent political family occasionally brought her into the headlines. In 2012, her wedding was attended unexpectedly by her cousin Conor Kennedy and his then-girlfriend, singer Taylor Swift.
Before her injury, Kennedy was described by her family as naturally fast and competitive. She played soccer and lacrosse, took part in long-distance running and completed the Boston Marathon in 2019, beating her father’s time by 20 minutes despite heavy rain.
Her obituary said that, after becoming paralysed, she faced “struggles” but “fought to maintain her dry wit and determination through it all, trying to be the best possible mother” to her sons.
It said she also cared for her two Wheaten terriers and became an advocate for people living with disabilities. She testified at the Massachusetts state house during a hearing on discrimination in disabled healthcare.
Kennedy’s death comes after the death of Saoirse Kennedy Hill, a niece of Robert F Kennedy Jr, who died in 2019 from a fentanyl overdose.
