Granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, Kyle Kennedy, Dead at 42

One of the grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy, Kyle Kennedy, died at the age of 42, according to multiple reports. Kyle Kennedy, who is the daughter of Michael Kennedy and “one of 34 grandchildren” to Robert. F. Kennedy, and his wife Ethel Kennedy, was reported to have “died on Sept. 21,” PEOPLE reported. Kyle Kennedy is also the niece of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to the outlet, Kyle Kennedy “was born on July 6, 1984, in Washington, D.C.” and worked as an “educator”: The educator was born on July 6, 1984, in Washington, D.C. to parents Michael (who died in 1997) and Victoria Denise Gifford. Victoria is the daughter of Frank Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart and Kathie Lee Gifford’s stepdaughter. As noted in her obituary, Kyle was dedicated to early childhood education and worked on educational reform for disadvantaged children and people with disabilities. Her career began in New York City as a teacher in the program Teach For America after she graduated college. The outlet noted that Kyle Kennedy’s death comes after “she suffered long-term paralysis after she sustained a severe spinal cord injury in 2020.” TMZ reported that the obituary did not share “the cause and manner of death.” The outlet noted that Kyle Kennedy “was just 13 years old when Michael Kennedy tragically skied into a tree while playing football on skis with other Kennedy family members.” Several people took to social media to respond to the news of Kyle Kennedy’s death, stating that she “deserves to be remembered for more than her famous surname.” “Kyle Kennedy deserves to be remembered for more than her famous surname,” one person wrote in a post on X. “In 2019, she ran the Boston Marathon and beat her late father’s time by 20 minutes. A year later, a spinal cord injury left her paralyzed.” “She went on to testify before Massachusetts lawmakers about discrimination in healthcare for people with disabilities,” the person added. “She spent her career helping children through education and leaves behind two young sons.” “How heartbreaking,” another person said. “This family has endured one tragedy after another.”