Michael Kennedy Killed In Accident

Michael Kennedy, son of the late u s senator robert Kennedy and a nephew of the late president John F Kennedy, died Wednesday after he hit a tree while skiing at aspen mountain in Colorado, police said yesterday.

Kennedy, 39, who was engulfed in controversy earlier this year for an alleged affair with his childrens teenage babysitter, was skiing with family members when the accident occurred about 2315 gmt, authorities said.

He was taken to aspen valley hospital, where he was pronouned dead, police said.

Kennedy was the second of 11 children born to the slain former senator and his wife, ethel, to die under tragic circumstanes. His older brother david died in 1984 from an overdose of cocaine and prescription drugs in palm beach, florida.

Michael kennedys father, robert, was assassinated on june five, 1968, while seeking the demoratic partys nomination to run for u s president. Just five years earlier, on november 22, 1963, his uncle, president john f kennedy, was assassinated in dallas, texas.

Michael kennedy headed citizens energy corp, a nonprofit organisation that supplies heating fuel to the poor, and managed his uncle edward kennedys u s senate re-eletion campaign in 1994.