Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson, whose rocky relationship fuelled the rapper’s lyrics, dies at age 69

Debbie Nelson, mother of rap star Eminem.
| Photo Credit: AP

Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem whose rocky relationship with her son was known widely through his hit song lyrics, has died. She was 69.

Eminem’s longtime representative Dennis Dennehy confirmed Nelson’s death in an email on Tuesday. He did not provide a cause of death, although Nelson had battled lung cancer. Nelson’s fraught relationship with her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been no secret since the Detroit rapper became a star.

Eminem has disparaged his mother in songs such as the 2002 single Cleaning Out My Closet. Eminem sings: “Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen. Bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’ through her purse and shit’s missin’. Goin’ through public housing systems, victim of Münchausen’s Syndrome. My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t.”

In lyrics from his Oscar-winning hit ‘Lose Yourself from the movie, 8 Mile, his feelings seem to have simmered, referencing his “mom’s spaghetti.” The song went on to win best rap song at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem’s statements about her in magazines and on radio talk shows. In her 2008 book, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, she attempted to set the record straight by providing readers details about the rapper’s early life.

The highly acclaimed rapper Eminem earlier this month won for best hip hop act at the 2024 MTV EMAs and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

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He announced last month that he was going to be a grandfather, saying his daughter Hailie Jade is pregnant by way of a touching music video that is a tribute to their relationship.