Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s Mother, Dies at 69

Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s mother, whose difficult relationship with her son was reflected in much of his earlier music, had died at the age of 69. The rapper’s representative, Dennis Dennehy, confirmed his mother’s death to US media.

Close sources say Debbie passed away due to lung cancer. She died last night in St. Joseph, Missouri. Debbie’s diagnosis was first revealed in September, and reports at the time said she didn’t have long to live.

Debbie Nelson, was born in 1955 on a military base in Ka, and said she grew up in a ‘large dysfunctional family,’ according to her 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. Her parents split up before she turned 10, she wrote in the book, leaving her responsible to fend for the family as the oldest of five children.

At a tender age of 16, she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, she welcomes the “Lose Yourself’ rapper in 1972. Eminem, 52, and her mother had a rocky relationship throughout her life.

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Eminem apparently called out Nelson in his 2002 song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” which led to Nelson suing her son for $11 million for defamation. Even though the judge ruled in her favor, Debbie Nelson was only granted $25,000 of the $11 million dollars she asked. Eventually, she was only entitled to about $1,600 after lawyer fees.

Over time, though, the two have made attempt to reconcile. Eminem’s 2013 track ‘Headlights’ marked a turning point… and he expressed regret over his harsh words and apologized for their strained relationship. They on-and-off bond improved in the last couple of years, and Debbie congratulated Eminem on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022.

“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 since-deleted video. “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride,” added Nelson at the time. “I’m very, very proud of you.”

Eminem’s estranged father died in 2019 at 67. Along with Eminem, Nelson is survived by son Nathan Mathers. Eminem is yet to publicly address the death of this mother, though his half-brother Nathan ‘Nate’ Kane Mather turned to his Instagram Story with a simple but cryptic post: “Hatred and mixed emotions today.”