Kris Jenner’s Mom, Mary Jo ‘MJ’ Shannon, Dead at 91: ‘My Heart Is Broken’

Obituary

Shannon made regular appearances on the family's hit reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Kardashians

Kris Jenner‘s mom, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, had died at the age of 91. The Kardashian matriarch announced the news on Thursday. A cause of death was not given.

“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,” she wrote on Instagram. “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. She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments,” Jenner continued. “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.”

“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,” concluded Jenner. “And 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 made regular appearances on the family’s hit reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians (which later became The Kardashians) over the years and served as a gentle voice of reason and comfort, with the granddaughters often speaking of how much they admired their grandmother.

The grandchildren — Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner — have yet to share their own tributes on Shannon’s death.

Shannon, the founder of San Diego children’s boutique Shannon & Co., was married to Jenner’s dad, Robert Houghton, before their divorce when Jenner was seven years old. She later married Harry Shannon and was with him for 40 years until he died in a car crash in 2003. Along with Jenner, Shannon was the mother of Karen Houghton, who died of cardiac arrest in March 2024 at age 65.

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