Ethel Kennedy, matriarch of one of America’s most famous political families, has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, her family said Tuesday.
Kennedy, 96, the widow of slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and mother of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was asleep Thursday when she suffered the stroke and is now being treated at a hospital, former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., a grandson, said in a statement.
“She feels comfortable, receives the best possible care and is surrounded by family,” the statement said. “She is, as you may know, a strong woman who has lived a remarkably fulfilling life. We will take care of her here.”
She spent the summer enjoying her large family, her grandson said.
Ethel Kennedy had eleven children from 1951 to 1968. Her last child was born six months after her husband was fatally shot in a Los Angeles hotel.
Months after Robert F. Kennedy’s death, she helped establish a human rights center in his name dedicated to advancing his legacy.
In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. government, for her work on various causes, including human rights, environmental protection and social justice.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
