Eminem‘s mother Debbie Nelson has died. She was 69.
According to People, a representative for the Lose Yourself rapper confirmed Nelson died on Monday (Tuesday in Australia) from complications relating to lung cancer. The news was first reported by TMZ.
It comes less than three months after Nelson’s diagnosis was first reported in September.
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Nelson’s complicated relationship with her son – born Marshall Mathers – is no secret, with the duo publicly exchanging barbs over the years: Eminem through his songs, and Nelson through a lawsuit.
According to Nelson’s 2008 memoir My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, she grew up in a “large dysfunctional family,” with her parents splitting up before she turned 10.
As the oldest of five children, she wrote she was responsible for providing for her family in the aftermath.
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Nelson married Eminem’s father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was 16, welcoming the Mockingbird rapper two years later.
Eminem notably called his mother out in his 2002 hit Cleanin’ Out My Closet, which prompted Nelson to sue her son for defamation.
She asked for $US11 million (approx. $17 million), with the judge, according to ABC News, ultimately granting her $US25,000 (approx. $39,000).
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After lawyer fees, she ended up with $US1600 (approx. $2400).
In 2008, Nelson opened up to The Village Voice about the possibility of reconciling with Eminem.
”There’s hope for everybody,” she told the outlet.
“It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on,” Nelson said at the time.
Five years later, Eminem released Headlights, with the song’s lyrics sparking speculation that it was serving as his apology to Nelson.
”And I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mum and my dad,” Eminem raps in one section of the 2013 song.
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He also rapped: “So Mum, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet.”
In 2022, when Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nelson publicly congratulated him with a message shared online.
”Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,” she said in a video that has since been deleted.
She added: “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride… I’m very, very proud of you.”
Three years earlier, Eminem’s estranged father had died aged 67.
Nelson is survived by Eminem and his three children – Alaina Mathers, 31, Hailie Jade, 28, and Stevie Laine, 22 – as well as her other son, Nathan Mathers.
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