KYLE KENNEDY DIES AT MASSACHUSETTS HOME

Kyle Kennedy died at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, on 21 September, according to an online obituary. The obituary did not disclose a cause of death. Kennedy was the daughter of Michael Kennedy and a granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy. She was one of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s 34 grandchildren.

Kennedy sustained a severe spinal cord injury in 2020 that left her with long-term paralysis and other medical challenges, according to the obituary. She had two sons, Conor and Declan. “The years that followed brought struggles but Kyle fought to maintain her dry wit and determination through it all,” the obituary said. It said she tried to be the best possible mother to her sons and cared for two Wheaten terriers.

Kennedy completed the Boston Marathon in 2019 in heavy rain, finishing 20 minutes faster than her father had done. Michael Kennedy died in 1997 after striking a tree while skiing with relatives. Kyle Kennedy’s daughter Josephine, Conor’s twin sister, died days after her birth; her family said Kennedy carried Josephine’s memory throughout her life. Kennedy’s mother was Victoria Denise Gifford, the daughter of Frank Gifford. She was also a niece of Robert F Kennedy Jr and a great-niece of former US president John F Kennedy.