Kris Jenner Announces Death of Mom Mary Jo ‘MJ’ Shannon at 91: ‘My Heart Is Broken into a Million Pieces’

NEED TO KNOW

• Kris Jenner’s mother Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon died on Thursday, July 16, at age 91

• “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye,” Jenner wrote on Instagram

• MJ made regular appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the family’s reality shows

Kris Jenner is mourning the death of her mom Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon at age 91.

“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ,” she wrote on Instagram Thursday, July 16. “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye. 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. She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments,” continued Jenner, 70. “She showed me how to face life’s challenges with resilience and faith. Mom, thank you for every sacrifice you made, every piece of wisdom you shared, and every moment you loved us so completely. I will miss our daily talks, your smile, your laughter… Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched.”

“When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us. There is not a part of me that isn’t shaped by you,” wrote Jenner. “And if I have done anything right in this world, it’s because I spent my life trying to live in a way that would make you proud. Every memory, every moment, every blessing, it was all because of you, and I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy. 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.”

Jenner’s dad, engineer Robert Houghton, and mom broke up when she was 7, and a few years later MJ married businessman Harry Shannon, whom she stayed with for 40 years until he died in a car crash in 2003.

MJ, who made regular appearances on the famous family’s reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians over the years, founded San Diego children’s boutique Shannon & Co. in 1980. “I recall Kim sitting on this very floor and counting money,” MJ told the Daily Beast in 2012. “She would sing, ‘Counting is the game, and money is my name,’ or ‘Money is my name and counting is the game.’ Something like that.”

Read the original article on People