Ethel Kennedy, who died this week, tried to control the sprawling political clan after the death of her husband Robert Kennedy

Ethel Skakel Kennedy, who was at the side of her husband Robert F. Kennedy when he was assassinated in 1968 and drew on her Roman Catholic faith to endure a relentless series of family tragedies, has died at age 96 from complications related to a stroke,

Ethel was first introduced to the Kennedy family through Robert’s younger sister Jean, who quickly became Ethel’s close friend at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. She first laid eyes on Bobby during a 1945 ski trip to Mont Tremblant, an upscale ski resort in Quebec, and said she was immediately smitten.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes for decades thereafter, died Thursday.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Robert F. Kennedy, died Thursday morning after complications from a stroke suffered earlier in the week.

Ethel Kennedy is helped to the church, at the funeral mass for Saoirse Kennedy Hill, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, in Centerville, Massachusetts, U.S., August 5, 2019. David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON,

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a longtime human rights activist, died Thursday, her family said. She was 96. Former Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III announced the news of his grandmother’s passing on X.

Widow of Robert F. Kennedy and human rights activist Ethel Kennedy has died after suffering a stroke in her sleep.