Kim Kardashian Leads Tributes After Grandma MJ Dies At 91

• Kris Jenner has announced the death of her mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, who died at 91 and was a fan favourite on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “The Kardashians”.

• Long before reality TV fame, MJ built a successful career by running San Diego children’s boutique Shannon & Co. for more than 40 years and inspired her family’s entrepreneurial journey.

• A two-time cancer survivor, MJ faced years of health challenges with resilience. Her family had recently spoken about her declining health and mobility struggles on “The Kardashians”.

• Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner and other family members paid heartfelt tributes, celebrating MJ’s love, wisdom, humour and lasting influence on generations of the Kardashian-Jenner family.

July 17, () — Kris Jenner’s mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, has died at the age of 91. Jenner announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on Thursday, July 16, describing her mother as “the heart of our family”.

No cause of death was immediately announced.

“There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me”, Jenner wrote, thanking her mother for teaching her the importance of family, kindness, resilience and unconditional love.

Born Mary Jo Campbell on July 26, 1934, in Arkansas, MJ later moved to San Diego, California, where she worked as a fashion model before becoming a successful entrepreneur. She owned the children’s clothing boutique Shannon & Co. for more than four decades. Kim Kardashian later revealed that her grandmother gave her her first retail job there and inspired the family’s business mindset.

MJ became a familiar face through “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “The Kardashians”, earning a loyal fanbase for her humour, honesty and close bond with her grandchildren.

Her life also included personal challenges. After two earlier marriages, she found lasting love with businessman Harry Shannon, whom she was married to for 40 years until his death in a car accident in 2003.

She was also a breast and colon cancer survivor, although her family said her cancer treatments left her with long-term health complications.

In recent years, viewers watched Kris Jenner speak openly about her mother’s declining health and mobility issues.

MJ was the mother of Kris Jenner and the late Karen Houghton, who died in 2024. She is survived by six grandchildren. Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Rob Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner, as well as 13 great-grandchildren.

In 2022, she was the sole Kardashian-Jenner family witness at Kourtney Kardashian’s legal wedding to Travis Barker.

Kim Kardashian described MJ as “my best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin”, thanking her grandmother for teaching her the value of hard work. She also shared one of MJ’s final messages, in which she encouraged her great-grandchildren to help make the world a better place.

Kris Jenner said the family was heartbroken but grateful for the love and memories MJ left behind, adding that her mother’s legacy would live on through future generations.

Fans Pay Tribute

Fans also flooded Kim Kardashian’s Instagram comments with messages of support.

One user, @draymichele, wrote, “Sorry for your loss and thank you for always sharing MJ with us.”

Another, @nathanhgshore, commented, “So sorry for your family’s loss,” while @allisonstatter wrote, “ONE OF ONE. Going to miss her SO much. RIP MJ. Love you so much.”