Kris Jenner is mourning the lack of some of the vital figures in her life and the Kardashian-Jenner family legacy. The truth TV matriarch announced Thursday that her mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, has died at age 91.
While fans got here to know MJ through her frequent appearances on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and the family’s subsequent reality shows, her influence on the Kardashian-Jenner empire stretched back a long time before the cameras ever arrived.
In a lengthy and emotional tribute shared on social media, Jenner reflected on the teachings, love, and values her mother passed down through generations of the family.
“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,” Jenner wrote on Instagram. “There aren’t any words that might ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of getting to say goodbye.”
The 70-year-old described her mother as “the guts of our family” and credited her with teaching the values that will grow to be central to the Kardashian-Jenner family’s close-knit bond. “She taught us that family is every thing. She showed us the best way to love unconditionally and the best way to find joy within the little moments,” Jenner continued.
The truth star also reflected on the lasting impact her mother had on her children and grandchildren, writing that she sees pieces of MJ in every generation of the family. “My heart is broken into 1,000,000 pieces,” Jenner concluded. “I really like you eternally Mommy.”
MJ Shannon Helped Shape The Kardashian Family Long Before Reality TV
Long before the Kardashian-Jenners became household names, MJ was constructing a successful business of her own. In 1980, she founded Shannon & Co., a children’s boutique in San Diego that became a family gathering place and an early introduction to entrepreneurship for her grandchildren.
In a 2012 interview with The Every day Beast, MJ recalled a young Kim Kardashian spending time in the shop and showing an early fascination with business. “I recall Kim sitting on this very floor and counting money,” MJ said. “She would sing, ‘Counting is the sport, and money is my name.’”
The story has since grow to be one among the family’s favorite examples of Kim’s entrepreneurial instincts long before she built her billion-dollar business empire.
MJ Endured Personal Tragedy Throughout Her Life
While thousands and thousands of viewers got here to know Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon through reality television, her connection to the Kardashian-Jenner family stretched back a long time before the cameras arrived.
MJ gave birth to Kris Jenner in 1955 and later separated from Kris’ father, Robert “Bob” Houghton, when Kris was 7 years old. She eventually married businessman Harry Shannon, who became a father figure to each Kris and her younger sister, Karen Houghton. On the time, MJ operated a children’s clothing store in San Diego, a business that will later play a crucial role within the family’s life. Following Harry’s hospitalization in 2003, Kris stepped in to assist keep the shop running.
“My dad was in a automobile accident in 2003, and when he was within the hospital, my mom desired to close the shop, but I said I’d run it for her,” Kris recalled in a 2015 interview with Haute Living. “I used to be exhausted attempting to make all of it work from San Diego, but I knew my mom and pop needed me.”
Harry later died from a staph infection contracted while hospitalized, a loss Kris described as “so devastating” for the family. Within the years that followed, she threw herself into latest business ventures, including opening a children’s boutique together with her daughter, Kourtney Kardashian, before eventually agreeing to star on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
MJ Continuously Stole The Show With Her Unfiltered Advice
Because the family’s fame exploded, MJ became a beloved recurring presence on each “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and Hulu’s “The Kardashians,” often stealing scenes together with her humor and candid advice.
One in all her most memorable reality TV moments got here in a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, when Kim Kardashian revealed that MJ had once offered an unexpected piece of relationship advice.
“My grandma told me that you simply really live life when you will have sex in front of the fireside,” Kim said while discussing then-boyfriend Pete Davidson, adding that she and the comedian had taken MJ’s advice “in honor” of her grandmother.
Kris Previously Opened Up About MJ’s Health Struggles
In recent times, Kris Jenner had spoken candidly about her mother’s declining health and the emotional toll it was taking up the family.
During a 2025 episode of The Kardashians, Kris revealed that MJ had been struggling following the death of her daughter, Karen Houghton, who passed away in 2024 at age 65. “She’s frail,” Kris said in a confessional. “Ever since my sister passed away, she’s been super sad.”
The episode also showed MJ discussing a few of the physical challenges she had been facing, including mobility issues brought on by ongoing pain. For Kris, watching her mother struggle was particularly difficult. “This makes me really sad,” she said through tears. “I just hate it when she’s in a lot pain.”