Obituary

Ethel Kennedy, Matriarch of Famed Political Family, Dies at 96

  • Husband Robert was killed in 1968 while running for president
  • She worked for human rights causes and raised 11 children
Ethel KennedyPhotographer: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy and a mainstay of one of America’s most famous and star-crossed political families, has died. She was 96.

She died this morning from complications related to a stroke she suffered last week, according to her daughter, Kerry Kennedy.