Maria Shriver Pens Touching Tribute to Her Late Family Member Saoirse Kennedy Hill

Maria Shriver honored her late relative, 22-year-old Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who she considered a cousin: “She left a gaping hole in the lives of all of those who loved her dearly.”

Another life was once again lost, leaving the Kennedy family grieving. Maria Shriver mourned with the family as her cousin, once removed, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died on Thursday. The journalist took to Instagram to pen a few kind words and reach out to her relatives.

“Life is fragile and heartbreaking. It turns upside down in a minute,” she wrote. “Love your children, hold them tight. Love your family, hold them close. Love your friends, keep them near. Be gentle with others, as so many are fragile and struggling.”

Many relatives remembered the 22-year-old in a positive light and took to social media to pay tribute to the young lady.

Hill’s aunt, Kerry Kennedy, revealed her niece’s passion for “women’s empowerment” and “human rights” movements, which prompted her to volunteer in different works, including building schools in Mexico.

The former U.S. representative and uncle of the diseased, Patrick J. Kennedy, shared one of Hill’s written works that expressed her experience with depression on Twitter. He added:

“Saoirse’s sincere account of her depression is a powerful reminder of how so many people suffer alone and feel isolated. I am proud Saoirse was able to be open and tell her story. I encourage everyone to read her words.”

Saoirse, daughter of Courtney Kennedy and Paul Michael Hill, died on Thursday after being found at the Kennedy’s compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

The Boston College student died in Cape Cod Hospital from an apparent drug overdose.

The Kennedy’s have made headline’s for the series of deaths in their family, which some would call the “Kennedy curse.”

Included in the incidents are Presidents Kennedy’s assassination and Robert Kennedy’s death five years after.

In 1984, David, Robert and Ethel’s child, died of a drug overdose, and years after, their other son Michael followed in a skiing accident.

In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. passed away in a plane crash along with his wife and sister-in-law.