Ethel Kennedy, Widow of Robert F. Kennedy, Dead at 96

Born July 25, 1915, Joe Jr. was going to beryllium president, arsenic acold arsenic his begetter was concerned.

He was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention and planned to tally for Congress aft helium got retired of the Navy. But the 29-year-old and his co-pilot Wilford John Willy were killed Aug. 12, 1944, erstwhile explosives they were carrying detonated prematurely portion connected a bombing tally that was portion of Operation Aphrodite.

Neither pilot's assemblage was ever recovered and their names are among those connected the Tablets of the Missing astatine the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial honoring casualties of World War II.

It was John, calved May 29, 1917, who made it to Congress, past became a U.S. legislator and yet was elected president successful 1960.

He joined Jacqueline Bouvier on Sept. 12, 1953, and they welcomed girl Caroline Kennedy on Nov. 27, 1957, and lad John F. Kennedy Jr. on Nov. 25, 1960. 

A daughter, Arabella, was stillborn successful 1956 and lad Patrick, calved prematurely connected Aug. 7, 1963, lived for lone 39 hours.

JFK was assassinated connected Nov. 22, 1963, one of the defining events of the 20th century.

Caroline, the U.S. ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration and to Australia for the Biden administration, joined Edwin "Ed" Schlossberg in 1986.

They stock daughters Rose Kennedy Schlossberg (born June 25, 1988) and Tatiana Kennedy Schlossberg (May 5, 1990) and lad John "Jack" Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg (Jan. 19, 1993).

TV shaper Rose went to Harvard similar her ma and joined restaurateur Rory McAuliffe successful 2022.

Tatiana—a writer who didn't cognize astatine the clip that her 2014 New York Times article astir a dormant carnivore being recovered successful Central Park progressive her relative RFK Jr.—graduated from Yale and joined assemblage sweetheart George Moran in 2017. They welcomed a son, Edwin Jr., successful 2022.

Jack—a Yale alum, postgraduate of Harvard's JD/MBA programme and quite the hoot connected societal media—spoke astatine the 2024 DNC Convention and is simply a governmental analogous for Vogue.

The erstwhile archetypal son, named People's Sexiest Man Alive successful 1988, was considered 1 of the astir eligible bachelors connected the satellite earlier helium married Calvin Klein publicist Carolyn Bessette on Sept. 21, 1996.

In a shattering twist of destiny for his oft-grieving family, JFK Jr. died young similar his father, his imaginable snuffed retired erstwhile helium was killed, on with Carolyn and her sister Lauren Bessette, successful a level crash connected July 16, 1999.

Rosemary (at right, with sister Kathleen and ma Rose) was calved Sept. 13, 1918.

While she attended a peculiar boarding schoolhouse for students with learning difficulties, Rosemary had behavioral issues that led to her father's determination to person her acquisition a prefrontal lobotomy erstwhile she was 23.

Rosemary emerged from the experimental procedure—which was touted arsenic a imaginable cure for intelligence unwellness and Joe did hope it would assistance her—severely disabled and spent the remainder of her beingness (she lived till Jan. 7, 2005) institutionalized.

"All on I had continued to judge that she could person lived her beingness arsenic a Kennedy girl, conscionable a small slower," Rose told historiographer Doris Kearns Goodwin years later. "But past it was each gone successful a substance of minutes."

Born Feb. 20, 1920, Kathleen got a footwear retired of life, hence her jaunty nickname.

She joined William Cavendish, the Marquess of Hartington, successful a civilian ceremonial successful London connected May 6, 1944—against her mother's wishes, arsenic her beloved wasn't Catholic, truthful the bride's large member Joe Jr. was the lone subordinate of her household who attended the wedding.

A period later, William, a large successful the British Army, was killed by a sniper successful Belgium.

She remained successful England and fell for still-married William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 8th Earl Fitzwilliam. Before helium could unafraid a divorce, they some died erstwhile the level carrying them to the French Riviera crashed connected May 13, 1948.

Eunice was calved July 10, 1921.

The devoted philanthropist and laminitis of the Special Olympics joined Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. connected May 23, 1953.

Their had 5 children—Robert "Bobby" Shriver III (born April 28, 1954), Maria Shriver (Nov. 6, 1955),  Timothy (Aug. 29, 1959), Mark (Feb. 17, 1964) and Anthony (July 20, 1965).

When she died astatine 88, Eunice had 19 grandchildren, including Maria's 4 kids with now-ex-husband Arnold Schwarzenegger: Katherine (born Dec. 13, 1989), Patrick (Sept. 18, 1993), Christina (July 23, 1991) and Christopher (Sept. 27, 1997).

The lad known familiarly to the full state arsenic Bobby Kennedy joined Ethel Skakel connected June 17, 1950.

They went connected to person 11 children: Kathleen, Joseph II, Robert Jr., David, Courtney, Michael, Kerry, Christopher, Maxwell, Douglas and Rory.

Ethel was large with Rory erstwhile Bobby was fatally changeable connected June 6, 1968, soon aft winning the California Democratic primary.

David Kennedy died of a cause overdose connected April 25, 1984, astatine the property of 28. Michael Kennedy was killed connected Dec. 31, 1997, erstwhile helium slammed into a histrion portion connected skis and simultaneously tossing a shot astir during a household travel to Aspen, Colo. The 37-year-old shared 3 children with woman Victoria Gifford.

Her hubby died erstwhile their eldest kid was lone 16, but Ethel Kennedy went connected to beryllium a grandma of 34. Two of her grandchildren person died: Courtney and hubby Paul Hill's girl Saoirse Hill, 22, successful 2019 of an accidental cause overdose and Kathleen and hubby David Townsend's girl Maeve Kennedy McKean, 40, successful a 2020 canoeing accident.

RFK Jr., calved Jan. 17, 1954, is simply a thrice-married begetter of six.

He shares lad Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy III (born 1984) and girl Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (born 1988) with archetypal woman Emily Black.

They divorced successful 1994 aft 12 years of marriage.

RFK III has been joined to CIA expert turned writer and TV big Amaryllis Fox since 2017.

They stock girl Bobby (born Jan. 7, 2019) and lad Cassius Watts Thoreau Kennedy (Aug. 30, 2021), arsenic good arsenic Amaryllis' girl Zoë from a erstwhile relationship.

"I similar to accidental beingness is conscionable a postulation of experiences—some good, immoderate bad—and the much you person the better," the Stanford grad told Town & Country in 2012.

And simply knowing Ben Affleck "in passing," arsenic a root enactment it, brought Kick Kennedy to the apical of the trending barroom successful August 2024 days aft Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from the actor.

Affleck's rep was quick to unopen down romance speculation, telling E! News, "Everything astir him and Kick is untrue."

So thing astir being a Kennedy had truly changed successful a decade. Or a century.

"People inquire me, 'What's it similar to beryllium a Kennedy?'" she told T&C. "Maybe it's conscionable the somesthesia of the water, but I'm conscionable like, 'I person nary idea.' When I spot my look oregon sanction successful the tabloids, I get a knot successful my stomach. It's conscionable not me—it's speechmaking thing that's not real."

But she did consciousness a kinship with the large aunt she was named for, who died 2 years earlier her begetter was born.

"It's comic however akin we are," Kick mused. "She was amusive and societal and a performer successful galore ways."

RFK Jr. joined Mary Richardson in 1994 and they went connected to person 4 children: Conor Richardson Kennedy (born July 25 ,1994), Kyra LeMoyne Kennedy (Aug. 22, 1995), William Finbar "Finn" Kennedy (Nov. 8, 1997) and Aidan Caohman Vieques Kennedy (July 13, 2001).

The mates were legally separated erstwhile Mary died by suicide successful 2012.

Conor has maintained a reasonably debased profile, high-profile activism and other exploits aside, since rocketing to fame arsenic an 18-year-old Harvard pupil and happened to bring Taylor Swift location to conscionable the family.

Their romance lone lasted a fewer months, and Conor went connected to turn up and postgraduate from Georgetown Law School. But, the headlines were made.

"Taylor Swift's ex Conor Kennedy" is present engaged to vocalist Giulia Be.

Kyra, a regular among the high-fashion set, lives successful Milan.

She said successful an Aug. 27, 2024, video posted successful concern with Elle and Bvlgari that she's moving connected a task successful representation of her precocious mother.

"Have I experienced a rebirth successful my life?" she asks successful the clip. "Yes, I decidedly have. As a small girl, I was 1 person. And erstwhile I became a young adult, I did a implicit 180."

RFK Jr. married Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines in 2014.

The histrion shares girl Catherine Young (born March 8, 2004) with ex-husband Paul Young. 

Sen. Ted Kennedy, much scandalous than 90 percent of his household enactment together, shared 3 children with archetypal woman Joan Bennett: Kara Kennedy (born Feb. 27, 1960), Edward Kennedy Jr. (Sept. 26, 1961) and Patrick Kennedy II (July 14, 1967).

He and Joan divorced successful 1982 aft 24 years of matrimony and helium wed Victoria Reggie successful 1992.

Kara suffered a fatal bosom onslaught connected Sept. 16, 2011, 2 years aft her begetter died.