'Best care possible.' Ethel Kennedy hospitalized after stroke ...

Ethel Kennedy is hospitalized and being treated after a stroke in her sleep, according to her grandson Joe Kennedy III in a message on X on Tuesday.

"She is comfortable, she is getting the best care possible, and she is surrounded by family," Kennedy said in his message. His grandmother had the stroke on Thursday, he said.

Ethel Kennedy is the widow of Robert Kennedy, who was fatally shot in 1968 during his campaign for the presidency. The couple had 11 children including Joseph Kennedy II.

Joe Kennedy III called his grandmother "incredible" in the message.

"She, as you know, is a strong woman who has led a remarkably fulfilling life," her grandson said on X. "We are here looking after her. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We ask that you respect our family's privacy at this time."

Hyannisport is known for being the Summer White House for President John F. Kennedy. For the president, his then-attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and most of the rest of the sprawling Kennedy family, the village is where they all came home together.

Biographers and Kennedy family members say the time at the oceanfront Kennedy compound has for four generations offered a hub to enjoy — and treasure — family time, a sense of community, shared values and the beauty and peace of the ocean and coastline.

Ethel Kennedy is known to spend summers in Hyannisport, according to her son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while her children, grandchildren and extended relatives stay for whatever time they can. For years, they hosted an annual, celebrity-filled golf tournament in Hyannisport to support the family organization that carries on Kennedy’s mission: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

She was born on April 11, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois to coal magnate George Skakel and his wife, Ann Brannack Skakel, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

The  Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing.