Gise raised Jeff as a single mom, meeting Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, now 79, while she was going to night school and working during the day at a bank, said the tribute. They were married in 1968, with Bezos adopting her young son. They went on to have two more children, Christina and Mark.

Bezos announced on Instagram that his mother, Jacklyn, died inside her Miami home after a battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

Jackie Bezos, a fierce protector of her son Jeff before he founded Amazon.com and a deep-pocketed advocate for early childhood education, has died. She was 78.