Overview

• She died in her sleep at her Boston home on Wednesday, confirmed by Massachusetts Democratic Party chair Steve Kerrigan speaking for the family.
• A classical pianist and teacher, she supported Boston’s cultural institutions, with Boston Pops conductor laureate John Williams praising her commitment to young people and the symphony community.
• In the 1970s she publicly acknowledged alcoholism and depression, a rare candor at the time that advocates say helped reduce stigma.
• She married Edward M. Kennedy in 1958 and the couple divorced in 1982 after a highly public life connected to the Kennedy political family.
• She is survived by sons Ted Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy, nine grandchildren, one great‑grandchild and her sister, and the family said funeral and calling‑hour details will appear on the Carr Funeral Home website.