Maria Shriver Remembers ‘Valiant, Strong’ Cousin Tatiana Schlossberg: ‘I Cannot Make Sense of This’
Maria Shriver penned a heartfelt tribute Tuesday evening to her late cousin, environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg.
Schlossberg, the granddaughter of John F. Kennedy and daughter of parents Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, died Tuesday morning. Her passing was confirmed on social media by her family. The celebrated writer was 35.
On X, Shriver honored Schlossberg, calling her “valiant” and “courageous.”
“I return to this space today to pay tribute to my sweet, beloved Tatiana, who left this earth today,” Shriver wrote. “I return to this space to pay tribute and honor her loving and supportive family, who came together and did everything they possibly could do to help her. I return to this space heartbroken because Tatiana loved life. She loved her life, and she fought like hell to try to save it. I cannot make sense of this. I cannot make any sense of it at all. None. Zero.”
“Tatiana was a great journalist, and she used her words to educate others about the earth and how to save it,” Shriver’s tribute continued. “She created a beautiful life with her extraordinary husband George, and children Eddie and Josie. She fought like a warrior. She was valiant, strong, courageous.”
Shriver offered her condolences and love to her cousin, Schlossberg’s mother Caroline.
“My heart has always been with my cousin Caroline ever since we were little kids,” the former First Lady of California and NBC News anchor added. “My entire being is with her now. What a rock she has been. What a source of love she has been with Ed, Rose, Rory, Jack, George, Eddie, Josie and all of Tatiana’s cousins and friends and the amazing doctors who tried so hard.”
Schlossberg died just over a month after The New Yorker published her intimate personal essay “A Battle With My Blood.” In the piece, Schlossberg detailed her struggles with terminal cancer and the aftermath of her acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis, which she learned of immediately after giving birth to her second child in May 2024. She also called out her cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and labeled him an “embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family.”
Like many who paid tribute to Schlossberg online Tuesday, Shriver urged her followers to read the essay.
“If you haven’t read her words, please honor her by doing so,” Shriver wrote. “Her piece is extraordinary. Whatever your faith, please pray for Tatiana and her grieving family. Tatiana was the light, the humor, the joy. She was smart, wicked smart, as they say, and sassy. She was fun, funny loving, caring, a perfect daughter, sister, mother, cousin, niece, friend, all of it.”
I return to this space today to pay tribute to my sweet, beloved Tatiana, who left this earth today. I return to this space to pay tribute and honor her loving and supportive family, who came together and did everything they possibly could do to help her. I return to this space… pic.twitter.com/W3IBQlfF0S
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) December 30, 2025
“Those of us left behind will make sure Eddie and Josie know what a beautiful, courageous spirit their mother was and will always be,” Shriver’s tribute concluded. “She takes after her extraordinary mother, Caroline. May we all hold Tatiana’s family in our collective embrace not just today, but in the days ahead, and may each of you who read this know how lucky you are to be alive right now. Please pause and honor your life. It truly is such a gift.”
Shriver is not the only public figure who took time to honor Schlossberg in the wake of her death. Congressman Greg Stanton paid tribute to the writer and offered his condolences to her entire family as well.
“Tatiana Schlossberg’s death is a heartbreaking loss. Her honesty about fighting cancer while trying to be a mom meant so much to so many patients, survivors, and families,” the Arizona official wrote on X. “Even in grief, her words will stay with people for years to come, helping them feel less alone. The Kennedy family has endured so much heartache. My thoughts are with them all.”
You can find more tributes to Schlossberg below.
Tatiana once asked for advice about making a career at the Times when she was a young reporter. She struck me as eager to work hard, passionate about environmental reporting and humble about how much there was to learn. What a terrible loss. https://t.co/u29W6VFGIT
— Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) December 30, 2025
awful news. Tatiana had the same disease i did – Acute Myeloid Leukemia
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) December 30, 2025
but i had a less dangerous variant
so my bone marrow transplant worked. her two transplants didn't
my heart goes out to her husband, two young children, and their entire familyhttps://t.co/if4lP5lm2y
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Tatiana. Her journalism lifted up the work of so many in the climate movement—including my own—and I hope her children grow up to learn what an extraordinary writer, citizen, and leader she was.
— Nathaniel Stinnett (@NCStinn) December 30, 2025
God speed, Tatiana.https://t.co/Chf5KZkBfP
Tatiana Schlossberg’s work challenged us to confront the realities of the climate crisis with honesty and compassion. Her loss is deeply felt. I’m keeping the Schlossberg and Kennedy families in my prayers during this difficult time. May her memory be a blessing and live on…
— Alan Pardee (@alanpardeeny) December 30, 2025
Tatiana Schlossberg was a brilliant and dedicated environmental journalist. Courageous to the end. Rest in Peace. https://t.co/lThwq2Ip9g
— Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns) December 30, 2025
This is awful. A young mother with young children who died from an aggressive form of leukemia. This is a reminder of how important medical research is. There will be a day that this leukemia will be curable. But only research can make this happen soon.https://t.co/6jEF2kMOFF
— Leonidas Platanias, MD (@LeonidasPlatan1) December 30, 2025
New York lost a brilliant voice today in Tatiana Schlossberg. A brilliant environmental journalist and devoted mother, she spent her career pushing us toward a more sustainable future. Even in her final months, she spoke truth about the policies that matter for patients and… https://t.co/1RtOC7x4Qw
— Mathew Shurka (@MathewShurka) December 30, 2025
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