WASHINGTON, Aug 2 — Saoirse Kennedy Hill, a granddaughter of former US attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, died from an apparent overdose at her family's compound, US media reported yesterday.

Kennedy, known as RFK, was assassinated during his run for president in 1968, nearly five years after his brother president John F. Kennedy, or JFK, was shot dead in Dallas.

The New York Times reported, citing people close to the family, that emergency responders were yesterday afternoon called to the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, where 22-year-old Kennedy Hill lived.

She was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead, the paper reported.

"Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the Kennedy family said in a statement carried by US media. "Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.”

While in high school, Kennedy Hill wrote for a student newspaper about her struggles with depression and mental illness.

Despite the tragedies that befell two of their most notable members, the Kennedy family remains active in politics.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of RFK, entered the House of Representatives in 2013.

The Times reported that Kennedy Hill marched last year as part of a nationwide protests against gun violence. — AFP