AP Photo/Stew Milne, File
The Kennedy family is mourning the tragic loss of 22-year-old Saoirse Kennedy Hill.
According to The New York Times, Saoirse suffered an apparent overdose on Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. She is the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and the only daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill.
Her family confirmed the news of her death in a statement, which read, “Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse. Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother Courtney, her father Paul, her stepmother Stephanie, and her grandmother Ethel, who said, ‘The world is a little less beautiful today.'”
“She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit. Saoirse was passionately moved by the causes of human rights and women’s empowerment and found great joy in volunteer work, working alongside indigenous communities to build schools in Mexico. We will love her and miss her forever,” it concluded.
Local outlets report that emergency personnel rushed to the Kennedy Compound at approximately 2:30 p.m. this afternoon following an alleged cardiac arrest episode. The woman, whose identity was not immediately made public, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Kennedy Hill was enrolled at Boston College, where she reportedly majored in communications and served as the vice president of the College Democrats organization.
In 2016, Kennedy Hill penned a piece for her boarding school’s student newspaper, which touched on her struggles with depression and advocated for mental health awareness.
Our thoughts go out to Saoirse’s family at this time.