Inside Taylor Swift's surprising friendship with Ethel Kennedy after hit song inspiration

Taylor Swift admired the late Ethel Kennedy, who died on Oct. 10 due to complications related to a stroke at the age of 96.

In fact, the pop star met Ethel for the first time after penning her song Starlight for her 2012 album Red, which was re-recorded for Red (Taylor's Version) in 2021. She performed the tune live on tour, attracting interest from Ethel's daughter, Rory, who was in the crowd. Taylor revealed to Rory that the song was actually about her mother, so Rory insisted on the pair meeting in person.

Starlight, according to Taylor, wasn't intentionally written about the Kennedy dynasty. Instead, she came across a photo from '40s where two kids were dancing which appealed to her as she thought of "how much fun they must have had that night."

• Travis Kelce left flustered after keeping Taylor Swift waiting for private jet
• Taylor Swift sends message to Travis Kelce as she celebrates with fellow Kansas City Chiefs 'WAG'

She told the Wall Street Journal : "I ended up reading underneath that it was Ethel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. And they were like 17. So I just kind of wrote that song from that place, not really knowing how they met or anything like that."

When Taylor and Ethel met, the Fortnight singer had performed Starlight, which the late human rights advocate apparently loved. Taylor, according to Genius , said: "It was such a fun moment when she was just in love with the song and so happy about it and um, it’s just this adorable picture that to me, it just like brought forth all these potentials for how that night could’ve been."

Taylor and Ethel became "great" friends thereafter. The pop princess said at Ripple of Hope Gala in 2012 that the American royal "is the person who most inspires me to embrace the unpredictable side of life... She inspires me to find delight in every new experience."

She released the song in Oct. 2012 which is the same time that Taylor's whirlwind relationship with Ethel's grandson, Conor, was coming to a close. The pair were first spotted together in July 2012 where, according to Us Weekly , "Conor put his arm around Taylor and they kissed behind the boat shed." By August of that year, the relationship was confirmed by an insider.

Starlight is now a rarity for Taylor to perform. She's only incorporated it into her Eras Tour mashups a handful of times, leaving fans hoping for more.