Kerry Kennedy Pays Tribute to Niece Kyle Kennedy After Her Death at 42: ‘Our Family Is Heartbroken’

Greta BjornsonWed, October 21, 2026 at 2:58 PM UTC

0

Kyle Kennedy (L) and Kerry Kennedy (R)Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty; Derek French/Shutterstock -

Kerry Kennedy paid tribute to her niece, Kyle Kennedy, after her death

Kyle was the daughter of Kerry’s brother Michael Kennedy

She died at age 42 in September at home in Westwood, Mass.

Kerry Kennedy is paying tribute to her niece Kyle Kennedy after her death at age 42.

Kerry, 67, posted about Kyle’s death on social media on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Kyle died at home in Westwood, Mass., on Sept. 21, according to a death certificate obtained by PEOPLE. Her official cause of death is currently under investigation.

“Our family is heartbroken by the loss of my dear niece Kyle Francis Kennedy. A bright light and gentle spirit, Kyle was a committed educator and devoted mother to Conor and Declan,” Kerry wrote in her tribute.

“Our hearts are with her children, her mother Vicki, her brother Michael and sister Rory,” Kerry continued. “Kyle was the daughter of my beloved late brother Michael and Vicki Gifford Kennedy.”

She concluded her post by writing, “May she rest in eternal peace among the angels with her father and daughter Josephine. We love and miss you, Kyle.”

Kerry is the sister of Michael Kennedy, Kyle’s father, who died at age 39 in 1997 after a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado. Kyle was one of Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy’s 34 grandchildren.

Kyle was born on July 6, 1984, in Washington, D.C to Michael and Victoria Denise Gifford, the daughter of Frank Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart, and Kathie Lee Gifford’s stepdaughter.

Advertisement

She was raised in Cohasset, Mass., and later attended Georgetown University, where she earned a history degree. She also graduated from Pace University with a master’s degree in early education, and attended graduate school at Harvard University, where she obtained her master’s in education policy and management.

Kyle Kennedy on Dec. 12, 2018 in New York CityCredit: Michael Loccisano/Getty

According to her obituary, Kyle worked as an educator and got her start with Teach for America in New York City. She focused on early childhood education and worked on educational reform for disadvantaged children and people with disabilities.

Kyle married Liam Kerr in 2012 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, and they welcomed three children together. She gave birth to their twins Conor and Josie, but days after Josie’s birth, she tragically died. Two years later, they welcomed son Declan. Kyle and Liam were divorced at the time of her death.

Sign up for PEOPLE on the Kennedys, our free weekly newsletter where editor-at-large Liz McNeil examines one of America’s most famous political dynasties.

Kyle, who sustained a severe spinal cord injury in 2020, experienced long-term paralysis after the incident. She went on to become an advocate for others living with disabilities, and testified at the Massachusetts State House during a hearing on discrimination in health care for people with disabilities.

Kyle is survived by her 12-year-old Conor and 10-year-old Declan as well as her mother; brother Michael; sister Rory; and nieces and nephews McKie, Quinn, Jack and Caleb.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”