Mother of rap star dies at 69; was subject of controversial lyrics

According to several media reports, Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, passed away at the age of 69.

A representative for the Detroit rapper confirmed that Nelson passed away on Monday in St. Joseph, Missouri, due to complications from advanced stage lung cancer, according to a People.com story.

Born in 1955 on a Kansas military installation, Nelson married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. at the age of 15, became pregnant with Eminem (full name: Marshall Bruce Mathers III) more than a year later, and then moved to Michigan, according to E! News.

Nelson and 52-year-old Eminem had a notoriously tumultuous relationship, with the song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” from his 2002 album The Eminem Show subtly hinting at a very unhappy background.

Nelson then filed a $11 million defamation lawsuit against the 8 Mile singer and wrote a candid biography titled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem in 2007.

In later years, though, the hip-hop legend seemed to soften; in the 2013 song Headlights from the album The Marshall Mathers LP 2, he expressed sorrow and seemed to apologize to Nelson.

In an interview with The Village Voice in 2008, Nelson herself alluded to a potential reconciliation with her son:

At the time, she asserted that there was hope for everyone. It basically comes down to swallowing your pride. It is comparable to a cashed cheque. It’s finished and over. She advised you to move on.

In an online post, she would later congratulate him on being inducted into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame in 2022, according to TMZ.

You have my undying love. I knew you would succeed. Nelson added, “It’s been a long ride.” I’m so proud of you.

Eminem, son Nathan Mathers, and granddaughter Hailie Jade, who revealed her own pregnancy in October, are the survivors of Nelson.

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