In November 2023, Bezos announced he was moving back to his hometown in the Magic City to be closer to his parents, for whom he splashed $74 million on a pair of adjacent mansions in Coral Gables three years ago.
"Her adulthood started a little bit early when she became my mom at the tender age of 17," Bezos wrote on Instagram. "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. 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.
"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. 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."
Lewy body dementia, commonly known as LBD, is the "second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease," according to Mayo Clinic. Those with LBD might experience visual hallucinations and have swings of alertness and attentiveness. They also may have symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease, including rigid muscles, slow movement, trouble walking, and tremors.
The Bezos family has deep roots in Miami-Dade County. Bezos' stepfather, Miguel Bezos, was born in Santiago de Cuba before coming to the U.S. on a refugee visa after Fidel Castro's government seized his lumber business following the Cuban Revolution. Miguel stayed at a refugee camp in Miami-Dade County at Camp Matecumbe, along with hundreds of other children who were part of "Operation Peter Pan," an exodus of youth from the island.
Bezos spent his teenage years in Miami, graduating from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in 1982 as valedictorian. At 16, he spent the summer flipping burgers at a Miami-area McDonald's, which Yahoo Finance described as "his first hands-on brush with retail."
