Kim Kardashian (45) has said goodbye to her grandmother on Instagram. Mary Jo 'MJ' Shannon passed away at the age of 91. The death of her mother was announced by Kris Jenner (70) on Thursday, shortly after which her granddaughter also spoke out with a moving obituary. The reality star shared a photo series spanning several decades, including childhood photos, more recent family portraits, and the screenshot of a final message from her grandma.
'My sweet Grandma MJ, my best friend, my gossip partner, my eternal twin,' Kardashian begins her farewell message. From her grandmother, the entire family learned how important togetherness is, and these values will be preserved forever.
The 45-year-old was particularly closely connected to her grandmother through their time together in business. MJ opened the children's boutique Shannon & Co. in San Diego in 1980 and gave her granddaughter her very first job there. 'You showed me what it means to be a hard-working businesswoman,' Kardashian writes. She learned work ethic, strength, and confidence from her, with her grandmother always believing in her and providing support.
A Message with a Wish for the Grandchildren
MJ was the matriarch of the family, whose love lives on in everyone, the reality star continues. She also directed words to relatives who have already passed away: MJ should send greetings to 'Papa Harry, Aunt Karen, and my dad.' According to 'People,' these referred to MJ's late husband Harry Shannon, Karen Houghton, and Kardashian's late father Robert Kardashian Sr. 'You will always be a part of me, I love you so infinitely and will miss you forever,' it continues. She ended her obituary with the words: 'You are the best of all of us.'
Along with the post, Kardashian shared a screenshot of a final text message from her grandmother. In it, MJ expressed hope that her ten great-grandchildren might help save the planet, find solutions to climate change and pollution, and stop the destruction of the earth. She added a rainbow and three globe emojis.
The timing of another post caused some stir. About an hour before the farewell post, Kardashian had published a previously planned photo series titled 'lake life,' which showed a family outing with her children, sister Khloé Kardashian, and several nieces and nephews. When fans questioned the timing, Kim Kardashian clarified in a comment, according to 'People,' that the post had been scheduled before MJ's death. This week she had been at the side of her mother and grandmother, her heart was entirely with the family. In the coming days, they wanted to celebrate the life of the deceased.
Kris Jenner: 'She Was the Heart of Our Family'
Several hours earlier, Kris Jenner had announced her mother's death herself. 'Today we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,' the 70-year-old wrote. There are no words that could capture what her mother meant to her. MJ was the heart of the family and taught her everything that really matters: to love family unconditionally, to be kind, and to be there for loved ones. She will forever recognize her mother in her children and grandchildren.
MJ became known to a wide audience through her regular appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the family's subsequent reality formats. Before she married Shannon, she had raised Kris alone after separating from engineer Robert Houghton, when her daughter was seven years old. MJ was married to Harry Shannon for four decades until he died in a car accident in 2003. Over the years, she remained closely connected to her children and grandchildren and was present at numerous family celebrations, both in front of and behind the camera.
