Kim Kardashian Shares Grandma MJ Shannon's Final Texts at 91 After Her Death

Q: What final lessons did the family matriarch, a two-time cancer survivor, impart beyond her text messages?

Beyond those final “Amen” replies, MJ Shannon’s lasting lessons were about family, resilience, faith and hard work. In tributes after her death, Kris Jenner said her mother taught the family that “family is everything,” urging them to love one another fiercely, show up for the people they love and never take time together for granted. Kris also said MJ modeled how to meet hardship with “resilience and faith,” a message made especially powerful by her surviving both breast and colon cancer. Kim Kardashian emphasized that MJ’s influence also extended to work and self-belief. She said her grandmother taught her the importance of family values, but also “what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman.” MJ owned Shannon & Company, a children’s clothing store, and gave Kim her first job there, helping instill work ethic, strength and confidence. Family members also described MJ as a source of unconditional love, kindness and steadiness. Kris said her mother showed them how to find joy in small moments, while Kim called her a “safe place” who always believed in and championed her family. Taken together, the final lessons MJ left were not only spiritual, but practical: cherish family, face adversity with faith, work hard, be kind and stay present for the people you love.

3 articles · Updated · E! NEWS · Jul 18

Kim Kardashian posted screenshots of Mary Jo "MJ" Shannon’s final family-group texts a day after announcing her grandmother’s death at 91.
Three recent exchanges showed Kris Jenner sending daily Bible verses, with MJ replying "Amen" twice and a praying emoji in what Kim called the "Entire OG family" chat.
Kim’s July 16 tribute called MJ her "best friend" and said her grandmother taught the family the importance of staying close and carrying those values forward.
Kris, 70, described her mother as "the heart of our family," saying the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch’s love and traditions would live on after her death.