Kyle Kennedy Dies at 42 in Massachusetts Home

Kyle Kennedy, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, died at age 42 at her home in Westwood, Massachusetts, on September 21, according to an online obituary. The obituary did not disclose the cause or manner of her death.

Kennedy was the daughter of Michael Kennedy, the sixth of Robert and Ethel Kennedy's 11 children, and Victoria Denise Gifford, whose father was former NFL star Frank Gifford. Her death marks the loss of another member of the prominent Kennedy family.

Kennedy was 13 when her father died on New Year's Eve 1997. According to the source report, Michael Kennedy struck a tree while skiing during a game of football on skis with other members of the Kennedy family.

Kennedy later pursued a career in education after graduating from Georgetown University. She began working at an under-resourced school through the Teach For America program before earning advanced degrees from Pace University and Harvard.

Although she generally maintained a private life, Kennedy attracted national attention in 2012 following an incident involving her cousin Conor Kennedy and his then-girlfriend, singer Taylor Swift, at her wedding.

The source report said Conor allegedly arrived at the wedding with Swift without an invitation. Swift denied being an uninvited guest, maintaining that she had been invited and claiming that Kennedy thanked her for attending.

Kennedy also experienced significant personal hardships in later years. She lost her daughter, Josie, just days after the child's birth, according to the source report.

In 2020, Kennedy suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. The source report did not provide further details about the circumstances of the injury or her subsequent condition.