ST. JOSEPH, MO — Debbie Nelson, the mother of rap icon Eminem, has passed away at the age of 69.
A representative for the artist confirmed her death on December 2, stating that Nelson died from complications related to lung cancer. Nelson had been battling a terminal illness, with reports in September revealing that her health had significantly deteriorated.
Throughout his career, Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, famously depicted his troubled relationship with his mother in his music. He often portrayed her as “unstable and difficult,” their relationship became a central theme in many of his songs, such as "Cleanin’ Out My Closet," "Kill You," and "My Mom."
In 2008, Nelson published a memoir titled "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on My Life as Eminem’s Mother," in which she countered her son’s narrative.
Debbie Nelson, the mother of rap icon Eminem, has passed away at the age of 69.
She claimed that a lot of what Eminem had said about her was exaggerated or fabricated to help him rise to fame. She also revealed that she had sued him for defamation in 2000 to prevent the foreclosure of her house, but she insisted that she held no anger toward her son.
Born in 1955 on a military base in Kansas, Nelson worked various jobs throughout her life, including owning a taxi limousine company. Though she was known as Debbie Mathers at Eminem's birth, she later reverted to her maiden name, Debbie Nelson, after becoming widely recognized through her son's lyrics.
She is survived by her two sons, Marshall Mathers and Nathan Samra-Mathers, and her three grandchildren, Hailie Jade, Alaina Marie Mathers, and Stevie Laine.
Eminem has not yet publicly commented on his mother's passing.
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