Eminem's mother, Debbie Nelson, dies at 69
Detroit native rapper Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has died at the age of 69, the singer's rep confirmed to NBC News.
According to E!, Nelson died after a battle with advanced lung cancer. Reports of Nelson's diagnosis surfaced earlier in 2024.
Nelson, who was born in 1955 at a Military Base in Kansas, married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was 15, her 2008 memoir "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem." 16 months later, Nelson became pregnant with Eminem — whose real name is whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III — and relocated to Michigan, where her maternal grandmother lived, the memoir went on to say.
In the early days of his career, Eminem commented on a strained relationship with his mother through song lyrics, including the track "Cleanin' Out my Closet."
“Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition,” he rapped in the 2002 single. “Take a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin' / But put yourself in my position, just try to envision / Witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen.”
In her biography, Nelson spoke out against her son's lyrics.
"What mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic who lives on welfare?" she wrote in her biography. "None of it was true, but the fibs kept getting bigger, and ultimately Marshall and I became estranged."
In 2013, Eminem expressed regret over their relationship through his song "Headlights."
"I went in headfirst, never thinking about who, what I said hurt," he said. "In what verse, my mom probably got it the worst. The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far? / "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and all them other songs / But regardless, I don't hate you 'cause, Ma / You're still beautiful to me, 'cause you're my Ma."
In 2022, when Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nelson congratulated her son in a video message.
"I knew you’d get there," the message reportedly said. "It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you."
