Kyle Kennedy Dies at 42 After Six Years of Paralysis

Kyle Francis Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, on September 21 at age 42. According to her obituary published by Burke Funeral Homes, she died peacefully six years after a spinal cord injury in 2020 left her paralyzed and facing additional medical challenges.

Kennedy was the mother of Conor, 12, and Declan, 10, with her former husband, Liam Kerr. Her daughter Josephine died shortly after birth in 2014. Her obituary described Kennedy as intellectually gifted, witty, and beautiful, while highlighting her commitment to education and disability rights.

Born to Michael Kennedy, who died in 1997, and Victoria Denise Gifford, Kennedy studied history at Georgetown University. She later earned two master's degrees, one in early education from Pace University and another in education policy and management from Harvard University, before pursuing a career in early childhood education.

Her obituary emphasized her dedication to her children and her efforts to improve educational opportunities for disadvantaged children and people with disabilities.

In 2019, Kennedy completed the Boston Marathon in less than four hours despite heavy rain. Her time was 20 minutes faster than her father's marathon performance.

The following year, a spinal cord injury changed her life, causing long-term paralysis and other health challenges. According to her obituary, she continued to care for her sons and her two Wheaten terriers while maintaining her determination through difficult circumstances.

Kennedy also became an advocate for people with disabilities, including by testifying at the Massachusetts State House during a hearing on discrimination in disability-related health care. Her family survivors include her mother, her two sons, Kerr, her brother Michael Kennedy Jr., and her sister Rory Gifford Kennedy.

Her obituary highlighted the challenges she faced after her injury and her determination to remain involved in her children's lives and support causes important to her.

Kennedy's death follows another loss within the extended Kennedy family. Her second cousin Tatiana Schlossberg, a granddaughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, died in December after battling a rare blood cancer.

Schlossberg, who had two children, Edwin, 4, and Josephine, 2, with her husband, George Moran, wrote about her terminal prognosis and the impact of her illness on her family in an essay published by The New Yorker in November 2025.

In the essay, Schlossberg reflected on her lifelong efforts to meet her family's expectations and protect her mother from distress. She also acknowledged the profound effect her diagnosis had on her family.