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Kris Jenner’s mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, has died at age 91, less than two weeks before her 92nd birthday.
“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ. 😞💔,” Jenner, 70, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, July 16. “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye. My mom was the heart of our family. She taught me everything that truly matters … to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted. She taught us that family is everything.”
The Kardashians star added, “She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments. She showed me how to face life’s challenges with resilience and faith. Mom, thank you for every sacrifice you made, every piece of wisdom you shared, and every moment you loved us so completely. I will miss our daily talks, your smile, your laughter. Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched.”
Shannon is survived by Jenner and her multiple children and grandchildren. (Her daughter Karen Houghton previously died in 2024.)
“When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us. There is not a part of me that isn’t shaped by you,” Jenner continued in her emotional tribute. “If I have done anything right in this world, it’s because I spent my life trying to live in a way that would make you proud. Every memory, every moment, every blessing, it was all because of you, and I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy. My heart is broken into a million pieces… thank you for giving me the greatest childhood and oh what a beautiful blessed life. I love you forever Mommy. Thank you for giving us everything.”
Shannon was the maternal grandmother of Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and their cousin Natalie Zettel. Ahead of her death, Shannon was beloved by fans for the dry humor she displayed during guest appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, as well as on her family’s social media accounts.
A survivor of both breast cancer and colon cancer, Shannon was known for her close relationships with the reality stars, who often posted photos of her cuddling with her great-grandchildren. Kylie, 28, even has her grandmother’s name written in her late grandfather Robert Houghton‘s handwriting tattooed on her inner arm.
Born in Arkansas on July 26, 1934, the former teacher married her first husband at 18.
“Right out of high school, I was given an engagement ring [by] a guy I had been going with for four years,” she told Kim, 45, in a chat via her KKW Beauty site in 2017. “And then I just thought, ‘You know what? This isn’t really that much fun,’ so I got out of it.”
During a 2016 episode of KUWTK, Shannon later jokingly compared her brief union to Kim’s 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries. “We were only married two months … less than Kimmy,” she teased.
MJ went on to get married twice more: to Houghton, who died in 1975, and to Harry Shannon, who died in 2003.
Years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kris was moved to tears when thinking about her separation from her beloved mom.
“I really miss MJ a lot, we always have things planned and talk about where we’re gonna go and what we’re gonna do,” she told the cameras during an August 2020 episode of KUWTK, when they had to quarantine apart from each other. “The longer this goes on, I’m feeling a sense of loss because I can’t be with her.”
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