‘There will never be another Ethel’

The family’s statement was also published by Kerry Kennedy, one of Ethel and Robert Kennedy’s 11 children who leads the human rights group named after his father.

“She was a devout Catholic and took communion daily, and we are comforted to know that she was reunited with the love of her life, our father, Robert F. Kennedy; his sons David and Michael; his daughter-in-law Maria; his grandchildren Maeve and Saoirse; and his great-grandchildren Gideon and Josie,” the statement said.

Governor Maura Healey and several members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation also released statements of condolence.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ethel Kennedy, who inspired us all with her resilience, compassion and faith,” Healey said. “A passionate human rights defender, she leaves a remarkable legacy of public service. I am keeping the Kennedy family in my thoughts during this difficult time.”

U.S. Representative Lori Trahan, a Democrat from Lowell, praised Kennedy for his commitment to the cause of human rights.

“Through her work to advance social justice and human rights, Ethel Kennedy touched the lives of many people here in Massachusetts, across our country, and around the world,” Trahan wrote. “Her tremendous legacy will live on through her family, who she loved more than anything in the world.”

Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Malden, remembered Kennedy as “a woman of true grace and courage, a devoted matriarch and a supportive friend.”

“Ethel Kennedy’s generosity of spirit transcended politics and her dedication to her family and her husband’s legacy were a driving force,” he said.

Kennedy’s husband, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in California in 1968, moments after winning the state’s Democratic presidential primary.

“When Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in 1968, she ensured that her husband’s life’s work would continue,” Markey said. “She turned her personal tragedy into a lasting legacy of public service and global leadership. His mission will be felt forever, beyond the shores of his beautiful home in Hyannis, to the ends of the world, where his fight for human rights lives on.”

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, a Democrat from South Boston, recalled that Kennedy received the nation’s highest civilian honor in 2014 for his decades of advocacy.

“Ethel Kennedy was a pillar of strength and a dedicated defender of human and social rights,” Lynch wrote. “She was known for her resilience and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 for her perseverance and generosity. My thoughts go out to the Kennedy family as they mourn their loss.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Ethel Kennedy’s death is “a tremendous loss for our entire nation.”

“After the assassination of her husband, New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy turned her deep pain into purpose as an advocate for social justice and human rights who changed the world for the better,” Hochul wrote.

New York Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, a Democrat who serves as vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, praised Kennedy as a “truly admirable woman.”

“The resilience she exuded in the face of personal tragedy and her devotion to upholding our highest ideals with grace, dignity, and humanity defined her extraordinary life,” she wrote in X.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss posted a photo of Kennedy and her husband as a smiling young couple.

“Prayers for Ethel Kennedy (1928-2024) and gratitude for her life,” he wrote.

Democratic strategist Max Burns said it was “one of the honors of my life” to work for Ethel Kennedy and her daughter Kerry.

“Ethel was a titan whose voice never wavered, and her moral courage guided much of the work we did around the world,” Burns wrote. “There will never be another Ethel.”

Figures on the political right also mourned the death of Ethel Kennedy. Actor James Woods, a prominent Hollywood conservative, remembers her as “graceful, warm and brilliant.”

“Like all of us, I grieved with Ethel Kennedy when our great American compatriot, Robert F. Kennedy, was taken by the act of a madman,” Woods wrote. “His courage and dignity inspired me then and throughout his life. I was lucky enough to meet her in Hyannis Port at a charity event for the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation for Justice and Human Rights. She was kind, welcoming and brilliant. May she rest in peace.”

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani echoed the words of many Catholics who admired his devotion to the faith.

“Ethel Kennedy led an exemplary American and Catholic life,” wrote Giuliani, a Republican who served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer when he was president. “The tragedies she suffered would have crushed many. But his love and dedication to his family, humanity and God leave us with a prominent example of a truly heroic life.”

Maria Shriver, Ethel Kennedy’s niece, recalled her humor, intelligence, athletic ability and love of country.

“What a life she led,” Shriver wrote. “What a huge family she created and leaves behind. I’m so happy to be able to laugh with her this summer, to share memories with her. She was a devoted sister-in-law to my mother, a unique aunt to me and my cousins. She was fearless, funny, smart, an incredible athlete, patriotic, madly in love with my Uncle Bobby and dedicated to making our country better in every way.”

She was also a woman of deep faith, Shriver said.

“When it got tough, and there were a lot of tough times, she pushed through,” Shriver wrote. “She relied on her faith like my own mother. They were a pair of strong and determined women. What lives, what examples.”

Nick Stoico, Tal Kopan and Emma Platoff of Globe Staff contributed to this report. This breaking news will be updated as more information is released.

Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected].