Kris Jenner’s mother, Mary Jo ‘M.J.’ Shannon, dies at 91

By Juliet La Sala - The Washington Times - Friday, July 17, 2026

Reality TV personality Kris Jenner’s mother, Mary Jo “M.J.” Shannon, has died at age 91, multiple news outlets report.

Ms. Jenner announced the death in an Instagram post on Thursday, saying she and her family “said goodbye” to her mother.

In the post, Ms. Jenner described Ms. Shannon as the heart of the family and credited her with teaching values such as kindness, resilience, and unconditional love.

Kim Kardashian also paid tribute to her grandmother on Instagram, calling her the matriarch of the family and thanking her for giving Ms. Kardashian her first job.

Born on July 26, 1934, Ms. Shannon was a model and entrepreneur who owned a clothing store called Shannon & Co., starting in 1980.

She had been married three times and was a two-time cancer survivor, having battled both breast and colon cancer.

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Ms. Shannon appeared alongside the Kardashian-Jenner family on the TV shows “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “The Kardashians,” and an episode of “Celebrity Family Feud.”