BREAKING: Ethel Kennedy, widow of RFK, mother to Kerry, Robert Francis Jr., passes at 96 after stroke

A statement by Kerry Kennedy posted to X states, “It is with our hearts full of lovethat we announce the passing of our mother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.

“Along with a lifetime’s work in social justice a nd human rights, our mother leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom love her dearly.”

“She was a devout Catholic and daily communicant, and we are comforted in knowing she is reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; her children David and Michael; her daughter-in-law Mary, her grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and her great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie.”

Ethel Kennedy was born in Chicago in 1928 and grew up in Connecticut, where her father built a successful coal business. She was 17 years old when she met her future husband, Bobby Kennedy, who was at the time dating her sister Patricia, the JFK Library website states.

The two married on June 17, 1950 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenwich, CT. The two campaigned for Bobby’s brother, future president John F. Kennedy, in his 1960 run for office. Bobby Kennedy would serve as attorney general in his brother’s administration.

Ethel would continue to support her husband’s political career after the assassination of John in 1963, up until Bobby’s death at the hands of Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1968.

She was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a 2014 White House Ceremony.

"She's gone to extraordinary lengths to build support for causes close to her heart," President Obama said at the ceremony.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.