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Mary Kennedy, who committed suicide by hanging herself this week, battled depression for years, her estranged husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says.

“A lot of times, I don’t know how she made it through the day,” Robert tells The New York Times. “She was in a lot of agony for a lot of her life.”

The son of Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., adds: “I don’t think anybody who was around her didn’t do everything that they could to try to help her.”

Robert filed for divorce from Mary in 2010 after 16 years of marriage.

They were separated but still legally married, and have four children.

Authorities found Mary Kennedy dead Wednesday in the garage of her Mount Kisco, N.Y., home. The suspected cause of death is asphyxiation by hanging.

Mary’s family, meanwhile, has issued a statement.

They criticized “certain news organizations” for portraying her in a way that is “wholly inconsistent with the sister we knew and life she, in fact, lived.”

 
“We loved Mary and knew her to be an exceptional mother, sibling and friend to many,” says the statement. “Countless people have described her as an extraordinary mother, selfless in her desire to help others, and one of the finest people in the world.”

A private memorial service was set for New York City.