The lateRobert F. Kennedy’s granddaughter Saoirse Kennedy Hill died at age 22 of an overdose on Thursday, August 1.
According to the New York Times, emergency responders were called to the family’s Hyannis Port, Massachusetts compound at approximately 3 p.m. The daughter of Courtney Kennedy and Paul Hill was found “unresponsive.” She was transferred to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy completed on Friday revealed “no trauma inconsistent with lifesaving measures,” according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. RadarOnline.com later reported a toxicology report is underway to determine the exact cause of death.
In the wake of her passing, the family released a statement confirming their tragic loss.
“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” it read. “Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.”
The following day, her uncle Robert F. Kennedy Jr. penned a heartbreaking tribute to his dearest niece.
“We’ve lost our daughter and our children, their sister,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “Saoirse was fierce, both in her love for her family and yearning for justice. A fearless adventurer, she inspired curiosity and daring in her friends.”
He continued, “But her greatest gift was to find humor in everything and to give us all the gift of her laughter – and our own. The gaping hole that she leaves in our family is a wound too large to ever heal.”
Kennedy Hill, who was a student at Boston University, struggled with mental illness and depression. Prior to college, she detailed her experiences in an essay for The Deerfield Scroll admitting to attempted suicide and feeling “deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest.”
A funeral service will be held for her at a church close to the Cape Cod compound on Monday, August 5.
Kennedy Hill’s death is the latest casualty in the Kennedy family curse. Scroll through Radar’s gallery to go inside the most shocking Kennedy tragedies.
https://radaronline.com/photos/kennedy-family-tragedies-over-years/