Ethel Kennedy Hospitalized After Suffering a Stroke

Ethel Kennedy, the 96-year-old widow of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, was hospitalized last week after suffering a stroke in her sleep, her family said.

Kennedy’s grandson, former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), announced the health update in a social media statement on Tuesday.

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

The former congressman, who currently serves as the U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, asked for thoughts and prayers, and for the public to respect the family’s privacy.

Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights months after the assassination. The nonprofit is now known as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and its founder as a prominent figure in international human rights advocacy.

The Kennedy matriarch is mother to 11 children, whom she raised after her husband’s June 1968 assassination at the hands of Sirhan Sirhan, who shot the rising political star as he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination. Two of her sons—David and Michael—have since died.

She also has nearly three dozen grandchildren, many of whom were present to celebrate her most recent birthday in April. Joe Kennedy III posted a photo of the family crowding into frame for the event, captioning it, “Happy 96th to the World’s most amazing Gramma!!”