Who Was Mary Jo Campbell? Remembering Kris Jenner’s Mother and the Kardashian-Jenner Matriarch
Mary Jo Campbell, affectionately known to fans as “MJ,” was far more than the mother of momager Kris Jenner. Over decades of appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and its successor series, The Kardashians, Campbell became a beloved figure in her own right, known for her sharp humor, resilience, and the close bond she shared with her daughter and grandchildren. Campbell passed away in July 2026 at the age of 91, leaving behind a family legacy that stretched across generations of one of the most famous families in the world.
This article looks back at Mary Jo Campbell’s life, including her early years, her business career, her role within the Kardashian-Jenner family, and her passing in 2026.
Mary Jo Campbell Bio Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Mary Jo “MJ” Campbell (also known as Mary Jo Shannon) |
| Date of Birth | July 26, 1934 |
| Date of Death | July 16, 2026 |
| Parents | Lou and Gordon Campbell |
| Children | Kris Jenner, Karen Houghton |
| Occupation | Businesswoman, former model |
| Business | Co-founder, Shannon & Company (children’s boutique) |
| Notable Marriage | Harry Shannon (approx. 40 years, until his death in 2003) |
| Known For | Kardashian-Jenner family matriarch; regular on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and The Kardashians |
Early Life and Marriages
Mary Jo Campbell was born on July 26, 1934, to parents Lou and Gordon Campbell. At the age of fifteen, she enrolled at a fashion focused institution called Fashionality, beginning what would become a lifelong interest in fashion and design. Her early adult life included several marriages, beginning with a brief union to her high school sweetheart, which lasted only a matter of months before ending.
She later married Robert Houghton, an engineer, and the couple had two daughters together: Kristen “Kris” Mary Jenner, born on November 5, 1955, and Karen Houghton. Mary Jo and Robert Houghton divorced when Kris was seven years old. A few months later, Mary Jo married businessman Harry Shannon, and the family relocated to Oxnard, California. Her marriage to Shannon would prove to be her longest and most stable relationship, lasting roughly four decades until his death in 2003 following complications from a car accident.
Business Career
Mary Jo Campbell built a lasting business career as the co-founder of Shannon & Company, a children’s clothing boutique located in La Jolla, California. She ran the business for more than 45 years, building it into a well established fixture of the local community. When her husband Harry Shannon was hospitalized following a car accident, and his business partner reportedly disappeared with the company’s capital, the family faced significant financial strain, a period that tested Campbell’s resilience as both a businesswoman and a mother.
Kris Jenner eventually took over management of Shannon & Company during a difficult period for the family, and the store remained connected to the family for years afterward. Kim Kardashian has spoken publicly about the influence working at her grandmother’s store had on her, crediting the experience with teaching her early lessons about hard work and business that she carried into her own entrepreneurial career, including her shapewear brand SKIMS.
Life as the Kardashian-Jenner Matriarch
As the mother of Kris Jenner, Mary Jo Campbell became grandmother to Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian, as well as Kendall and Kylie Jenner, following Kris’s marriages to Robert Kardashian and later Caitlyn Jenner. Campbell also became great-grandmother to a growing number of the family’s youngest members, including Mason, Penelope, Reign, and Rocky Disick, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm West, True and Tatum Thompson, Dream Kardashian, and Stormi and Aire Webster.
Campbell became a familiar face to fans of the family’s reality television programming, appearing periodically on Keeping Up With the Kardashians beginning with its 2007 premiere and continuing through the family’s later Hulu series, The Kardashians. Fans came to know her for her dry sense of humor, straightforward manner, and evident closeness with both her daughter and her grandchildren. Her appearances often provided a grounding, generational perspective within a show otherwise centered on the family’s high profile careers and public lives.
One particularly memorable moment came in 2022, when Campbell served as one of only two witnesses present at Kourtney Kardashian’s courthouse wedding to musician Travis Barker, an intimate gesture that Kourtney later described as deeply meaningful to her.
Health Challenges and Family Loss
In her later years, Mary Jo Campbell faced a number of health challenges, including previous battles with both breast and colon cancer. Kim Kardashian has spoken publicly about the lasting effects of her grandmother’s cancer treatments, noting that radiation from earlier treatment had caused intestinal damage over time. Despite these struggles, Campbell remained an active and visible presence within the family well into her nineties.
The family experienced significant loss in March 2024, when Campbell’s younger daughter, Karen Houghton, died unexpectedly from cardiac arrest at the age of 65. Kris Jenner spoke openly about the emotional toll of watching her mother navigate age related health challenges in the years that followed, a topic that was occasionally addressed on The Kardashians.
Milestone Birthdays
Mary Jo Campbell’s birthdays became notable family events in the years leading up to her death, frequently documented and celebrated across the family’s social media accounts. In 2022, the family marked her 88th birthday, with Kris Jenner posting an emotional tribute calling her mother her best friend, her heart, and her hero. In 2024, the family celebrated her 90th birthday, during which Campbell reflected on set of The Kardashians that her proudest achievement in life had been raising her daughters. The following year, in 2025, the family threw her a garden themed celebration for her 91st birthday, with Campbell posing for photos alongside her granddaughter Kylie Jenner and great-granddaughter Stormi Webster.
Death and Cause of Death
Mary Jo Campbell died on July 16, 2026, just ten days shy of what would have been her 92nd birthday. Kris Jenner announced the news through an emotional post on social media, writing that there were no words to capture what her mother had meant to her or the heartbreak of saying goodbye. Jenner described her mother as the heart of their family, crediting her with teaching her how to love unconditionally, find joy in small moments, and face life’s challenges with resilience and faith.
According to a death certificate later obtained by media outlets, Campbell’s official cause of death was listed as acute cardiopulmonary arrest, with acute respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer listed as contributing factors. Reports indicated that Campbell had been fighting lung cancer for several months prior to her death, though the exact timing of her diagnosis was not made public. She passed away at a hospital in Los Angeles, and no autopsy was performed following her death.
Following her passing, Kris Jenner and the wider family held a celebration of life for Campbell at the La Valencia Hotel in San Diego, held on what would have been her 92nd birthday. The gathering brought together family members to honor her legacy in the city where she had built much of her business career.
Legacy
Mary Jo Campbell’s influence on the Kardashian-Jenner family extended well beyond her appearances on their reality television programming. As the family’s matriarch across four generations, she helped shape the values that would come to define much of the family’s public identity, from resilience and hard work to the importance of close family bonds. Kim Kardashian, in a tribute following her grandmother’s death, referred to her as her best friend and forever twin, thanking her for teaching the value of family, hard work, and confidence, lessons Kim has said continue to guide her own business career today.
Beyond the tributes from her grandchildren, Campbell’s legacy is also visible in the way the family has continued to speak about the importance of showing up for one another, a value Kris Jenner specifically credited to her mother following her passing. That emphasis on presence and loyalty, threaded through decades of reality television appearances and countless family gatherings, appears likely to remain part of how the extended Kardashian-Jenner family understands its own origins for years to come.
Why People Were Curious About Mary Jo Campbell
Public interest in Mary Jo Campbell grew steadily over the years as fans of the Kardashian-Jenner family sought to understand the origins of the family’s business minded, resilient character. As the mother of momager Kris Jenner, and the great-grandmother to one of the most famous families in modern entertainment, Campbell’s own story, including her business career and her personal resilience through difficult times, offered fans a window into the generational roots of the family’s now famous work ethic.
Conclusion
Mary Jo Campbell’s life spanned more than nine decades, during which she built a lasting business, raised two daughters, and became a beloved figure to millions of fans who watched her family’s story unfold on television. Remembered by her family as the heart of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, her legacy of resilience, humor, and unconditional love continues through the generations she helped shape.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mary Jo Campbell
Who was Mary Jo Campbell?
Mary Jo Campbell, known as “MJ,” was the mother of Kris Jenner and the matriarch of the Kardashian-Jenner family, appearing regularly on the family’s reality television shows.
What business did Mary Jo Campbell run?
She co-founded and operated Shannon & Company, a children’s clothing boutique in La Jolla, California, for more than 45 years.
How many grandchildren did Mary Jo Campbell have?
She was grandmother to Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian, as well as Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and great-grandmother to their many children.
When did Mary Jo Campbell die?
She died on July 16, 2026, at the age of 91, from acute cardiopulmonary arrest with contributing factors of respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer.
Did Mary Jo Campbell lose any children?
Yes. Her younger daughter, Karen Houghton, died unexpectedly from cardiac arrest in March 2024 at the age of 65.
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