Ethel Kennedy, the bereaved spouse of Robert Kennedy, has passed away.
Ethel Kennedy, a prominent figure in the Kennedy political clan, has passed away at the age of 96. Known as the spouse of the late Robert F. Kennedy, former US Attorney General and Democratic presidential nominee, who was assassinated in 1968, Ethel has experienced numerous hardships. After her husband's tragic death, she managed to raise eleven children, leaving an indelible mark on politics.
The family revealed that Ethel succumbed to complications from a stroke she suffered last week. Ethel shared her life with Robert, who was assassinated just days after winning the Democratic presidential primary in California. The Kennedy family had already suffered the loss of President John F. Kennedy, Ethel's brother-in-law, less than five years prior to this tragedy.
Ethel faced numerous personal tragedies throughout her life, including the loss of her parents in a plane crash in 1955, her brother in 1966, and several family members in unfortunate accidents. Her sons David Kennedy, Michael Kennedy, and nephew John F. Kennedy Jr. all passed away prematurely, as well as her granddaughters Saoirse and Maeve, and two great-grandchildren.
Joe Kennedy III, a member of the family, announced her passing on social media, expressing his family's deep sadness. According to a family statement, Ethel left behind nine children, thirty-four grandchildren, twenty-four great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and a vast network of loved ones.
A Voice for Human Rights
Ethel's Christian faith and family always held top priority. She is now reunited with her late husband and other deceased family members, her family declared.
Ethel established the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and advocated fiercely for human rights and stricter gun legislation. Her influence in the Democratic Party continued to be felt, and in 2008, she endorsed Barack Obama, drawing comparisons between him and her late husband.
The Kennedys are renowned as a powerful Democratic political dynasty in the U.S. For decades, several of Ethel's children and extended family members have played significant roles in politics. Her son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently deviated from the family's traditional liberal ideology by running as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections, but later endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Born on April 11, 1928, in Chicago as Ethel Skakel, she was the sixth of seven children to coal magnate George Skakel and his wife Ann Brannack Skakel, devout Catholics. Ethel grew up in a sprawling 31-room English-style home in Connecticut. Robert Kennedy first came into contact with Ethel through his sister Jean, who shared a dormitory with her at Manhattanville College in New York.
Ethel became a public figure after Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The shocked expression on her face captured the nation's attention and became an enduring image of the second Kennedy assassination in just a few years. The shooter, Sirhan Sirhan, has remained in prison since the incident.
Despite this family's long-standing association with the Democratic Party, Ethel's son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently chose to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections. However, he later endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The Democrats mourned the loss of Ethel Kennedy, a strong advocate for human rights and stricter gun legislation, who had left an indelible mark on the party through her activism and endorsements, such as her support for Barack Obama in 2008.
