Kris Jenner is mourning the loss of her mother, Mary Jo "MJ" Shannon, who died Wednesday, July 16, at the age of 91.
The Kardashian-Jenner matriarch confirmed the news in an emotional Instagram post featuring a photo of her mother. "Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ," Jenner wrote. "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."
Jenner described her mother as the source of the values that shaped her life. "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 wrote, adding that MJ "showed me how to face life's challenges with resilience and faith."
Shannon, affectionately known as "MJ," was a fixture on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its Hulu successor, "The Kardashians," often appearing alongside her daughter and grandchildren. She was previously married to Kris' father, Robert Houghton, before marrying businessman Harry Shannon, who died in 2003. MJ's health had become a more visible topic on the family's show in recent years, particularly following the sudden death of Kris' sister, Karen Houghton, in 2024.
Closing her tribute, Jenner credited her mother for the woman she became. "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," she wrote. "I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy."
