Rory Kennedy has broken her silence on the death of her niece Kyle Kennedy.
Kyle, 42, died in her Westwood, Massachusetts, home on Sept. 21, according to her obituary. She was the daughter of Michael LeMoyne Kennedy — who died in a 1997 skiing accident at 39 — and Victoria Denise Gifford, and one of 34 grandchildren of Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy.
Rory, 57, the 11th and youngest child of Bobby and Ethel, issued a statement on Tuesday. “Kyle was a wonder – as mother of her beautiful boys, as a daughter, a sister, a friend. And as an educator, too,” she said.
“She was funny and fierce and much beloved by all of us,” Rory continued. “She will be deeply missed.”
Kyle’s death came six years after she suffered a severe spinal cord injury that resulted in long-term paralysis. In her final years, she became an advocate for people living with disabilities, testifying at the Massachusetts State House at a hearing on discrimination in disabled healthcare.
She is survived by her sons Conor, 12, and Declan, 10, whom she had with Liam Kerr. Kyle and Kerr married in 2012, though the obituary referred to him as her “former husband.” During their marriage, the couple also welcomed daughter Josephine, Conor’s twin sister, who died days after birth.
Kyle also leaves behind her siblings Michael, 43, and Rory, 38, along with four nieces and nephews and her mother.
Born July 6, 1984, in Washington, DC, Kyle attended Milton Academy before studying history at Georgetown University. She later earned a master’s degree in early education from Pace University and a second master’s in education policy and management from Harvard University.
After graduating, she worked in New York City as a Teach For America teacher.
Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, Kyle’s father, died at 39 in a 1997 skiing accident. He was one of the 11 children of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy.
The Kennedy family has faced repeated tragedy across generations. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign, and his older brother President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Decades later, Michael LeMoyne Kennedy’s death in the Colorado skiing accident added to the family’s losses.
Kyle’s advocacy work in her final years marked a shift from her earlier career in education. Her testimony at the Massachusetts State House on healthcare discrimination brought her personal experience to policy discussions affecting disabled residents.
Her obituary noted her survival of the 2018 spinal cord injury and her subsequent paralysis, which she lived with for the final six years of her life.
Rory Kennedy’s tribute emphasized Kyle’s roles across multiple spheres of life. The documentary filmmaker, known for films including “Last Days in Vietnam” and “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” has previously documented social and political issues through her work.
Kyle’s funeral arrangements and any memorial plans have not been publicly announced.