Kennedy family matriarch Ethel Kennedy, 96, hospitalized after stroke

Ethel Kennedy, matriarch of one of America’s most famous political families, has been hospitalized after a stroke, her family said Tuesday.

Kennedy, 96, the widow of slain Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and mother of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was sleeping Thursday when she had the stroke and is now being treated at a hospital, former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., a grandson, said in a statement.

“She is comfortable, she is getting the best care possible and she is surrounded by family,” the statement says. “She is, as you may know, a strong woman who has led a remarkably fulfilling life. We are here looking after her.”

She spent the summer enjoying time with her large family, her grandson said. 

Ethel Kennedy had 11 children from 1951 to 1968. Her last child was born six months after her husband was fatally shot at a Los Angeles hotel.

Months after Robert F. Kennedy’s death, she helped found 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 given by the U.S. government, for her work on several causes, including human rights, environment protection and social justice.