BOSTON – Saorise Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died Thursday at the age of 22, her family confirmed in a statement.
“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the note read. “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.”
The New York Times reports that Kennedy Hill suffered an apparent overdose at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
The family statement said Kennedy Hill 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.”
Saoirse Kennedy Hill
She had also written about her struggles with depression, which she said started in middle school.
Hyannis Fire Lt. David Webb told CNN that an individual was taken to the Cape Cod Hospital on Thursday after a call for assistance. Barnstable police responded to “reported unattended death” early in the afternoon at the Marchant Avenue residence, said Tara Miltimore, a Cape & Islands assistant district attorney.
The six-acre waterfront property in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod is home to several members of the Kennedy family.
The compound captured the nation’s attention during the presidency of John F. Kennedy in the 1960s.
The presidential helicopter, Marine One, landed there countless times and high-profile politicians visited the property.
CNN Wire contributed to this report.
