In a heartfelt commemoration marking the anniversary of his niece’s passing, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed that her untimely demise in 2019 resulted from a fentanyl overdose.
On Friday, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary paid a poignant tribute to the memory of Saoirse Kennedy Hill. In doing so, he shared previously undisclosed details surrounding the circumstances of her death at the age of 22 in 2019.
Despite a typographical error, spelling her name as ‘Saorsie’, Kennedy wrote a touching message: ‘Remembering my beloved niece Saorsie Kennedy Hill, a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose.’
The tribute featured a selection of photographs capturing Saoirse’s spirit throughout her life, including joyful family portraits and opulent moments from yachting adventures.
Shortly after sharing this heartfelt post with his millions of followers on Instagram, Kennedy opted to delete it. The reasons for its removal or his awareness of disclosing her cause of death remain uncertain.
The Daily Mail has contacted the HHS for comment.
At the time of Saoirse’s passing in August 2019, toxicology reports found methadone, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, diazepam, nordiazepam and alcohol in her system.
Fluoxetine is an anti-depressant, and diazepam is medication to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol withdrawals.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. revealed that his niece Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s tragic death in 2019 was caused by a fentanyl overdose, as he paid tribute to her on the anniversary of her passing
Kennedy mis-spelled his niece’s name as ‘Saorsie’ in the since-deleted post
Kennedy shared a touching tribute to his late niece, writing on Friday that she was ‘a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose’
Saoirse – the granddaughter of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy – was found unresponsive at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on the night of August 2, 2019.
She was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and Paul Michael Hill, who was imprisoned in Ireland for 15 years after being falsely accused of involvement in Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombings.
Aged just 22, the heir to the Kennedy dynasty was at home with many of her family members, including grandmother Ethel Kennedy, when she overdosed.
She was raced to Cape Cod Hospital, and she was pronounced dead soon after.
Ethel Kennedy, then-91, shared a heartbreaking statement following Saoirse’s death, saying that ‘the world is a little less beautiful today.’
Saoirse had been open about her struggles with mental illness, depression and anxiety, including sharing an op-ed in her student newspaper at the prestigious Deerfield Academy in 2016.
She wrote at the time that her depression ‘took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life.’
The political scion indicated that the weight of her family name wore on her, as she said she suffered from ‘deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest.’
Saoirse’s sudden death seven years ago marked one of the most heartbreaking chapter’s in the Kennedy family’s long list of tragedies, which have become commonly known as the ‘Kennedy curse.’
Saoirse’s uncle RFK Jr. shared several photographs of his late niece from her childhood, including beaming family photos and lavish yachting vacations
Kennedy family members at Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s funeral on August 5, 2019 in Massachusetts
The so-called ‘Kennedy curse’ began with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, when he was gunned down in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald.
In the decades since, the family has suffered numerous tragedies and unexpected deaths, including another assassination, four fatal plane crashes, and several overdoses.
Last year, the family was struck by its latest heartbreak as Tatiana Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter – died from cancer aged just 35.