Mary Jo Campbell, the mother of Kardashian-Jenner manager Kris Jenner, passed away at 91 years old. Kris Jenner, 70, disclosed the death through a social media post on Thursday, stating “Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ.” The specific cause of death was not disclosed at the time of the announcement.
Campbell, who also went by the name MJ Shannon, was born in 1934 and became a recognizable figure through her appearances on family reality television programs. She gained visibility after Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered in 2007 and continued appearing alongside her daughter and grandchildren across subsequent series including The Kardashians on Hulu. Her family celebrated her 90th birthday during an episode of The Kardashians, which was marked by a garden-themed party. She was a great-grandmother to Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Campbell had two children: Kris Jenner and Karen Houghton. Karen Houghton died of cardiac arrest in March 2024 at age 65. Throughout her television appearances, Campbell developed her own following among viewers, known for delivering witty remarks and offering counsel to her family members. She was particularly noted for discussing her experiences overcoming cancer on two separate occasions.
In her public tribute, Kris Jenner described her mother as instrumental in shaping her values and accomplishments. Kim Kardashian also posted a tribute, characterizing her grandmother as “my best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin” and crediting her with providing her first job at a retail store in San Diego, which instilled in her principles about work ethic and business acumen that guided her subsequent ventures including the Skims brand.