Jackie Bezos, Amazon Investor and Jeff’s Mom, Dies

Jackie Bezos, the mother of Jeff Bezos and an early investor in Amazon, has passed away at the age of 78 in Miami. Mr. Bezos shared on social media that his mother suffered from Lewy body dementia, a neurological condition.

In 1995, Jackie and her husband invested approximately $245,000 in Amazon, which was started by her son Jeff in 1994. The company has since grown into one of the world’s most valuable firms, currently valued at nearly $2.5 trillion.

Jeff Bezos highlighted her support by mentioning how she used her online wish list at a 2000 expo in New York to demonstrate the ease of shopping on Amazon. Her list included items like a Casio camera and Motorola walkie-talkies.

Born in Washington, D.C., on December 29, 1946, Jackie was raised in Albuquerque, where she had her first child, Jeff, at age 17. Facing challenges as a pregnant teenager, she initially faced school restrictions, but her father intervened to allow her to finish her education. She later attended night school and worked at a bank, balancing motherhood and learning, often bringing her baby along to classes.

She met her second husband, Miguel Bezos, an immigrant from Cuba, during this time. They were married for nearly 60 years and had three children, including Jeff (who was adopted by Miguel), Christina, and Mark.

At age 45, she returned to college and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey. 

In 2020, she was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. She was also the president of the Bezos Family Foundation, which she established with her husband in 2000 to support educational grants.

She is survived by her husband, three children, eleven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, according to the family foundation.