Robert F Kennedy Junior has penned a heartbreaking tribute to his beloved niece Saoirse who passed away after reportedly suffering a suspected drug overdose.
The 22-year-old – who was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and granddaughter of the late Robert F Kennedy and his wife Ethel – was confirmed dead by her family this week who explained in a statement how “shattered” they were over the loss.
Now Saoirse’s uncle has also spoken out about the tragic passing of his niece, sharing an emotional post on social media along with a series of beautiful photos of the young woman.
“We’ve lost our daughter and our children, their sister,” he wrote on Instagram. “Saoirse was fierce, both in her love for her family and yearning for justice.
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“A fearless adventurer, she inspired curiosity and daring in her friends. But her greatest gift was to find humor [sic] in everything and to give us all the gift of her laughter – and our own. The gaping hole that she leaves in our family is a wound too large to ever heal.”
Kennedy Jr also shared a number of gorgeous photos of his niece including a selfie of the two and multiple snaps of Saoirse’s time adventuring around the world.
In one the 22-year-old could be seen leaping from a jetty with her cousin Michaela, while in another smiling broadly on board a boat with her cousin Noah.
The tear-jerking message follows the release of a statement from the Kennedy family.
“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the Kennedy family said in a statement, according to WJAR. “Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.”
They reportedly added: “She cared deeply about friends and family, especially her mother Courtney, her father Paul, her stepmother Stephanie, and her grandmother Ethel.”
According to People, her grandmother Ethel added: “The world is a little less beautiful today.”
The statement went on: “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.”
Paramedics were reportedly called to the family compound to reports of a suspected drug overdose around 2.30pm on Thursday (local time), where they found a patient in cardiac arrest. While the patient was then rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, she was tragically later pronounced dead.
According to multiple US reports, Saoirse was found in the home belonging to her grandmother.
Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore, of the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, has since confirmed to the news outlet that the tragic incident is now being investigated.
“Earlier this afternoon Barnstable Police responded to a residence on Marchant Ave in Hyannis Port for a reported unattended death,” Miltimore said. “The matter remains under investigation by Barnstable Police and State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office.”