Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s newlywed bliss has come to a tragic end.
The Amazon founder, 61, married his partner of six years in a luxury Italian wedding ceremony in late July, but despite a lavish European honeymoon, the time basking in their marital bliss has come to a screeching halt for personal reasons.
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Bezos revealed via Instagram that his mother, Jacklyn “Jackie” Gise Bezos, passed away on August 14 at the age of 78 after a years-long battle with dementia. “After a long fight with Lewy Body Dementia, she passed away today, surrounded by so many of us who loved her — her kids, grandkids, and my dad,” he wrote alongside a lengthy tribute to his mother.
“I know she felt our love in those final moments. We were all so lucky to be in her life. I hold her safe in my heart forever.”
“Her adulthood started a little bit early when she became my mom at the tender age of 17. That couldn’t have been easy, but she made it all work,” Bezos began his tender tribute. Bezos was born in 1964 to Jackie and his biological father, Ted Jorgensen. His parents separated a year after his birth and he was raised by his single mom.
“She pounced on the job of loving me with ferocity, brought my amazing dad onto the team a few years later, and then added my sister and brother to her list of people to love, guard, and nourish,” Bezos said, referring to his stepfather, Miguel Bezos, whom she wed in 1968. They welcomed Bezos’ siblings, Christina and Mark, together.
“For the rest of her life, that list of people to love never stopped growing. She always gave so much more than she ever asked for,” he wrote.
Sanchez showed love for her mother-in-law in the comments of the post, writing, “We will miss her SO much. Love you.” She also reposted her husband’s tribute to her own Instagram story with a broken heart emoji.
Jackie was an early supporter of her son’s now-multibillion-dollar empire, investing $300,000 in Amazon’s founding in 1995, giving her and her husband 6% equity in the company, per The Guardian. Jackie and Miguel later founded the Bezos Family Foundation.
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