Kris Jenner’s mother Mary Jo Shannon, known widely as MJ, died from acute cardiopulmonary arrest after suffering acute respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer, according to her newly released death certificate.
The report was released on July 28 and confirmed that MJ had been living with metastatic lung cancer for months before her death. She died July 16 at a Los Angeles hospital at age 91. The certificate also states that no autopsy was performed. She was cremated on July 23.
The medical details provide new clarity after Kris Jenner initially announced her mother’s death without publicly identifying a cause. TMZ separately confirmed that acute cardiopulmonary arrest was listed as the immediate cause of death, while acute respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer were identified as contributing conditions. MJ died just 10 days before what would have been her 92nd birthday on July 26.
MJ had already faced major health challenges before the illness that ultimately contributed to her death. Kim Kardashian previously revealed on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” that her grandmother had survived both breast cancer and colon cancer. Kim said radiation treatment created intestinal complications that sometimes left MJ severely ill.
Her story stretched far beyond her appearances with one of reality television’s most recognizable families. Mary Jo Shannon was born in Arkansas on July 26, 1934. She modeled when she was young and married her high school sweetheart at 18 after dating him for four years, though the marriage lasted only two months. She later married Robert Houghton and became the mother of daughters Kris and Karen Houghton. The couple divorced in 1962, when Kris was seven, and MJ raised her daughters before later marrying Harry Shannon.
MJ and Shannon remained married for about 40 years until his death in 2003. Her life in Southern California also included a lengthy career as a business owner. According to People, she opened Shannon & Company, a children’s boutique in La Jolla, in 1980 and operated the business for decades. That store became an early training ground for members of the family long before the Kardashian name grew into a global collection of television, fashion and beauty ventures.
Kris has openly credited MJ with influencing her work ethic and business approach. In a 2015 interview with Haute Living, Kris discussed working in her mother’s store when she was young and later helping run it after Harry was seriously injured in a car accident. Kris recalled taking over responsibilities at Shannon & Company while her mother dealt with the crisis at home. She eventually opened a children’s store of her own with Kourtney Kardashian, continuing a retail path that had already been established by MJ.
That influence reached another generation. Following MJ’s death, Kim Kardashian credited her grandmother with giving her an early lesson in entrepreneurship. According to People, Kim said Shannon & Co. was her first job and called MJ “the woman who showed me what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman.” Kim also described her grandmother as her “best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin,” reflecting a relationship that went well beyond the family’s television presence.
MJ also became a familiar figure to viewers through appearances on the family’s reality shows, but she maintained a life centered heavily around family and Southern California. She remained fiercely independent as she grew older. During a podcast interview months before MJ’s death, Kris said her mother lived only about a mile from her but declined invitations to move in. Kris said MJ also spent part of her time in La Jolla and regularly sent her photos of the ocean and surrounding views.
Her presence remained important during major family milestones. MJ was one of only two witnesses when Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker legally married at a Santa Monica courthouse in May 2022. Barker’s father, Randy Barker, served as the other witness. The moment placed MJ at the center of another major chapter in a family whose lives had already played out publicly for years.
Kris announced her mother’s death on July 16 and described her as “the heart of our family.” Days later, the family marked what would have been MJ’s 92nd birthday with photographs and personal tributes. Kris simply wrote, “Happy Heavenly Birthday Mommy. I love you.” Kim also celebrated the occasion while reflecting on what she had learned about her grandmother while going through her belongings with Kris.
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The newly disclosed cause of death adds medical context to MJ’s final months, but her public legacy reaches well beyond the circumstances of her death. Before the television fame, billion dollar brands and sprawling Kardashian family businesses, MJ had already built a company, raised a family and passed down an entrepreneurial mindset that her daughter and grandchildren would later carry onto a much larger stage.
