Detroit native rapper Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has died at the age of 69, the singer's rep confirmed to NBC News.
According to E!, Nelson died after a battle with advanced lung cancer. Reports of Nelson's diagnosis surfaced earlier in 2024.
Nelson, who was born in 1955 at a Military Base in Kansas, married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was 15, her 2008 memoir "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem." 16 months later, Nelson became pregnant with Eminem — whose real name is whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III — and relocated to Michigan, where her maternal grandmother lived, the memoir went on to say.
In the early days of his career, Eminem commented on a strained relationship with his mother through song lyrics, including the track "Cleanin' Out my Closet."
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“Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition,” he rapped in the 2002 single. “Take a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin' / But put yourself in my position, just try to envision / Witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen.”
In her biography, Nelson spoke out against her son's lyrics.
"What mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic who lives on welfare?" she wrote in her biography. "None of it was true, but the fibs kept getting bigger, and ultimately Marshall and I became estranged."
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In 2013, Eminem expressed regret over their relationship through his song "Headlights."
"I went in headfirst, never thinking about who, what I said hurt," he said. "In what verse, my mom probably got it the worst. The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far? / "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and all them other songs / But regardless, I don't hate you 'cause, Ma / You're still beautiful to me, 'cause you're my Ma."
In 2022, when Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nelson congratulated her son in a video message.
"I knew you’d get there," the message reportedly said. "It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you."
