Jeff Bezos' mom dies from same disease that afflicted Robin Williams

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

Jackie Bezos, the mother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and co-founder of the Bezos Family Foundation, has died after a long fight with Lewy body dementia — the same neurodegenerative disease that afflicted actor Robin Williams. She was 78.
The Bezos Family Foundation, which she co-founded, confirmed her death on Thursday, Aug. 14.
'She passed away today, surrounded by so many of us who loved her — her kids, grandkids, and my dad,' Jeff Bezos wrote on social media. '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.'
Diagnosed in 2020, Jackie's condition was a progressive brain disorder that affects memory, movement, behavior and sleep.
In Williams' case, the disease was only identified after his death in 2014, when an autopsy revealed he had been suffering from an aggressive form. His widow later said the illness had caused paranoia, confusion, hallucinations and severe anxiety — symptoms that often make Lewy body dementia difficult to diagnose.
Born Jacklyn Gise in New Mexico, she became a mother at 17 and later married Cuban immigrant Miguel 'Mike' Bezos, who adopted Jeff when he was four. The couple went on to have two more children, Christina and Mark.
In his tribute, Bezos recalled his mother's determination.
'Her adulthood started a little bit early when she became my mom at the tender age of 17,' he wrote. 'That couldn't have been easy, but she made it all work. 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 added, '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.'
In the comments of the post, Bezos' wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos wrote, 'We will miss her SO much.'
The Bezos Family Foundation remembered her as a 'devoted mother' who 'always' put her children first — whether making trips to Radio Shack for Jeff, supervising Christina's cheerleading or hauling drums for Mark.
Jackie and Mike Bezos were among the first to invest in Amazon in 1995, risking nearly $250,000. Their foundation has since donated hundreds of millions to education and medical research.
She is survived by her husband, three children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to a meaningful nonprofit or 'a simple act of kindness in her memory.'
'She had a remarkable way of making people feel like family,' the statement read.