Kris Jenner announces death of mother Mary Jo ‘MJ’ Shannon at 91 with heartfelt tribute

Kris Jenner has announced the death of her mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, who has died aged 91, sharing an emotional tribute on Instagram.

“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,” Jenner wrote on Thursday. “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye.”

 

 

 

 

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Known to fans as “MJ”, Shannon was a familiar face in the Kardashian-Jenner family's reality television shows, appearing in Keeping Up With the Kardashians and later The Kardashians.

In a 2025 episode of The Kardashians, Jenner became emotional while discussing her mother’s declining health, saying, “It just gets to the point in life where you can’t be by yourself anymore. It makes me sad. I just hate it when she’s in so much pain.”

Reflecting on her mother’s influence, Jenner wrote, “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.”

Shannon was the matriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner family and is survived by six grandchildren — Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian, alongside Kendall and Kylie Jenner — as well as 13 great-grandchildren.

Jenner concluded her tribute by writing, “When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us… 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.”