Another tragedy has befallen the Kennedy family.
Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died on Thursday after suffering an apparent overdose at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
According to The New York Times, the 22-year-old was at the residence, where her grandmother, Ethel Kennedy, resides, when emergency responders were called on Thursday afternoon. She was taken to Cape Cod Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
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The Kennedy family confirmed the death in a statement, which read in part:
“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.”
The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office also issued a statement confirming the death at the property, but did not reveal the identity of the victim or the cause of death. Authorities said the matter is under investigation by local and state police detectives.
Saoirse had been studying communications in Boston College, where she was said to be an engaging student who was concerned about many of the issues plaguing contemporary society.
Marcus Breen, one of Kennedy Hill’s professors, recalled her once seeking him out after a lecture on feminism and rape culture to discuss whether the issues were appropriate for the classroom given some students may have been survivors of sexual assault themselves.
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Before enrolling in BC, Saoirse opened up about her struggles with depression and mental illness for the student newspaper at her prep school, Deerfield Academy. Describing the depression as “deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest,” she explained the illness “took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life.”
The apparent overdose is just the latest of tragedies that have plagued the Kennedy family over the years: President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were both slain by assassins; their brother Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was killed in World War II; and their sister Kathleen Cavendish died in a 1948 plane crash.
JFK’s son, John F. Kennedy Jr., was killed in 1999 when the airplane he was flying crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha’s Vineyard. Saoirse’s uncle, David Anthony Kennedy, was found dead in 1984 in a hotel in Palm Beach, Florida of an apparent overdose.
In 1969, Edward Kennedy drove off a bridge on a small island next to Martha’s Vineyard — an accident which killed Mary Jo Kopechne, the 28-year-old passenger in his car.
Naturally, the Kennedys are shattered by this latest family tragedy. Kerry Kennedy, Saoirse’s aunt, took to Instagram to honor her deceased niece, whom she said was “passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women’s empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work.”
Read the full tribute (below).
So, so heartbreaking.
Our hearts are with the Kennedy family at this devastating time.
[Image via Kerry Kennedy/Instagram]
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