Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, passed away on 2 December at the age of 69 in St. Joseph, Missouri, due to lung cancer complications, confirmed by Eminem’s representative.
Nelson’s illness was reported in September.
Born in 1955 on a Kansas military base, Nelson detailed her challenging upbringing in her 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem.
The eldest of five children, she assumed family responsibilities after her parents’ divorce. At 16, she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., and gave birth to the rapper at 18.
Nelson and Eminem had a turbulent relationship, famously chronicled in his music, including the 2002 song Cleanin’ Out My Closet.
This led Nelson to sue him for defamation, seeking $11 million but receiving just $1,600 after legal fees. Despite their strained bond, Nelson expressed hopes for reconciliation in a 2008 interview. In 2013, Eminem’s song Headlights was interpreted as an apology.
Nelson celebrated Eminem’s achievements from afar, including his 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, where she praised his success in a since-deleted video. Nelson’s estranged husband died in 2019, and she is survived by Eminem and her younger son, Nathan Mathers.
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