The Kennedy family is once again gathering to celebrate the Fourth of July, but this year, without matriarch Ethel Kennedy.
Kerry Kennedy shared a video on Instagram of the extended family cheering and waving together at their annual Independence Day party at their compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
In the clip, the videographer can be heard in the background yelling, “Happy birthday! Happy birthday!” before panning to a breathtaking sunset.
“Happy birthday Chris, Kathleen and America!” Kerry Kennedy captioned the video, referring to her brother Chris Kennedy, who turned 62, and her sister Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who turned 74.
In a separate post, Kerry Kennedy remembered Ethel Kennedy with a throwback photo of her mom participating in the family tradition.
“Every year, Mum led the annual Fourth of July parade in Hyannis Port from her red, white, and blue-decked golf cart. But she also knew that patriotism means more than celebration,” Kerry Kennedy wrote in her caption.
Ethel Kennedy, who was married to the late former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, died in October 2024 at age 96. She had 11 children, and her brother-in-law was late President John F. Kennedy.
Ethel Kennedy experienced a stroke just days before her death, her grandson former Rep. Joe Kennedy III said in a statement at the time.
“It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy,” the statement said. “She died this morning from complications related to a stroke suffered last week.”
Later that month, Kerry Kennedy, who is No. 7 in birth order of her siblings, shared that her dog, Bellini, was killed in a “terrifying and violent” attack, hours after her mom died. On social media, she explained how Bellini was killed by a neighborhood dog near their Hyannis Port home.
“Out of nowhere, a neighborhood dog charged, attacked, and killed Bellini. It was terrifying and violent beyond words,” Kerry Kennedy wrote.
At the time, she said the “only sense” she could make of the sudden death was that her mom wanted a “companion for her journey.”
The remainder of the Ethel and Bobby Kennedy’s kids include Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend, Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., David Anthony Kennedy, Courtney Kennedy Hill, Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, Christopher George Kennedy, Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Douglas Harriman Kennedy and Rory Kennedy Bailey.
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