Overview

• Family representatives said she died peacefully in her sleep at her Boston home on Oct. 8, according to Massachusetts Democratic Party chair Steve Kerrigan.
• The party released statements from her sons, Ted Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, praising her grace, advocacy and influence.
• A classically trained pianist and educator, she promoted youth access to the arts, worked with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, and authored the 1992 bestseller “The Joy of Classical Music.”
• In the 1970s she publicly acknowledged alcoholism and depression, an uncommon step at the time that supporters credit with helping reduce stigma.
• She is survived by her two sons, nine grandchildren, a great-grandchild and a sister, and funeral arrangements will be posted by Carr Funeral Home.