Fredrik Eklund is grieving the loss of his mother, Jannike Wenke.
The Million Dollar Listing New York and Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles alum shared the heartbreaking news via Instagram, just hours after Jannike’s death. Fredrik confirmed his mom had passed after “a brave battle with cancer” and was surrounded by loved ones in her final moments.
“This is the hardest post I will ever write,” he captioned the December 19 carousel. “There are no words big enough to describe how deeply we loved her — so perhaps the photos can speak where language fails.”
Fredrik Eklund pays tribute to his “immensely strong” mom
The post featured a mix of throwback and more recent pictures. There were black-and-white photos of a young Jannike; a shot of Jannike and Fredrik hugging outside the Ashford Castle; and a sweet childhood snap of Fredrik lying in bed alongside his mom and older brother, Sigge Eklund.
“When a mother dies, something inside of us dies too,” he continued. “And yet perhaps something else is born: the memories, the gratitude, and pain that will never leave.”
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Fredrik went on to describe his mother as “a private but immensely strong woman, so intelligent, colorful, powerful. The very best mother my brother and I could ever have wished for.”
Fredrik Eklund traveled back and forth from Sweden to care for his mother
The real estate mogul addressed his mom’s health issues in a February 2 Instagram post, in which he described the prior month as “strange.”
“My mom wasn’t feeling so well in Sweden, and if you know me you know she is my angel…so naturally I went to take care of her,” he wrote. “Life is not forever, and January came as a slap to wake me up to that. I’ve been moody, I’ve had anxiety, I’ve been sad, but I’ve pushed through and did my best.”
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Fredrik said he and his family made frequent trips to Sweden over the past months to care for his mother.
“We were lucky, so fortunate, to be there at the end days holding her,” he wrote in the December 19 post. “She loved watercolor painting, reading, birds, and above all, she loved us. Baking and cooking with her when I was a child remain some of my most beautiful memories I now try to instill in our kids. This morning I woke up to heavy rain. Rain was her favorite weather. She always said it made her feel free. Now she is free.”
Fredrik Eklund looks back at the lessons of 2025
Days after the family loss, Fredrik revealed he and his husband, Derek Kaplan, traveled to Italy for a few days of “peace and mourning in nature.” The couple was joined by their 8-year-old twins, Milla and Freddy Jr.
“She always loved nature, and I see and feel her here in the morning fog,” Fredrik captioned a video of the Castello di Reschio estate in Umbria.
The father of two then took a moment to reflect on his biggest lessons of 2025. Fredrik said he realized that money “can buy some freedom” but not peace, “control is an illusion,” and grief can sometimes clarify ambition.
“I learned this year that fatherhood is the highest form of leadership. Not dominance. Not perfection,” he wrote. “My kids don’t need a legend. They need a dad who listens… This year I learned that being needed is not the same as being loved. I’m still going to work on that into 2026. But I think for the first time I’m starting to not confuse the two. I no longer perform strength for approval.”
Fredrik ended his reflections by expressing gratitude for all the condolences he received over the past couple of days: “[It] means more than you could ever know,” he wrote. “I love you.”
Get a closer look at Fredrik’s life as a loving husband, father, brother, and uncle.
