Caitlyn Jenner shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram about her mother Esther Jenner, 96, who peacefully passed away yesterday in her sleep. According to The Sun , her mother was just a few weeks away from turning 97.
The former Keeping Up With the Kardashians star shared the heartbreaking news in lieu of her mother’s death to her 14.4 million Instagram followers. The post was a lovely carousel of pictures featuring a throwback of Esther’s 95th birthday, followed by two more pictures of Esther smiling wide at the camera. These memories were accompanied by a teary caption, where Caitlyn expressed how “unique” an experience it is to lose a mother. “She’s the only person that loved me my entire life” Caitlyn added, ending her caption by expressing how much she loves and misses her mother. “She was a few weeks shy of 97 and lived a full life. Love you, mom,” she wrote.
As per reports, Esther Jenner came from a rather low economic background and had a difficult upbringing compared to her daughter. She grew up on a small farm where they had a flock of chickens in a small coup and three cows. Esther’s family reportedly grew their own produce of vegetables as well.
The mother and daughter duo had always been close to each other, even since Caitlyn was young, and reportedly called each other on a regular basis. Even after Caitlyn came out as trans and started her transitioning journey, her mother was extremely supportive of it. “It’s nothing she asked for, it’s a condition and it starts in the womb,” she said in an interview.
However, Esther was very critical of Kris Jenner, and strongly felt that the momager of the Kardashians was an “unsuitable partner” for Caitlyn and was “hyper-controlling.” However, with time their relationship reportedly did improve.
In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Caitlyn discussed how difficult it was for her to live a dual life before she transitioned, adding that she “doesn’t miss Bruce”.”I don’t miss him at all; I can be my authentic self now,” she explained. As the friendly banter continued, DeGeneres asked about her family’s reaction to Caitlyn’s decision to transition. Caitlyn mention that her mother, who was 89 at the time, took it surprisingly easy and well, which shocked Caitlyn given the generation gap between the two.
Although Keeping Up With the Kardashians was a global phenomenon and success, Esther never fully understood why the show was such a huge hit with the general public. In an interview prior to her demise, she mentioned, “I wasn’t fond of that program. There was no plot, why it was such a hit, I’ll never know.” She went on to add her struggle with accepting Caitlyn as a celebrity and said, “She’s not a celebrity to me, she’s my kid”.
Although Esther found watching Caitlyn on the show “torturous” and insisted that her daughter “could spend a lot more pleasant times on the golf course,” she also admitted that like any other mother she “will always continue to love her kids.”