Eminem’s mother is dead: Debbie Nelson was 69

Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson, whose turbulent relationship with her son was often documented in his rap songs, has died. She was 69 years old. A rep for Eminem confirmed the news diversityalthough a cause of death is not yet known.

Nelson gave birth to Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, in 1972 when she was 18 years old. She married his father, Bruce Mathers, when she was 15 and he was 22. Bruce left the family shortly after Eminem’s birth and Nelson raised him and his half-brother Nathan as a single mother.

In a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone, Eminem spoke about the argument with his mother and accused her of stealing his paychecks and doing drugs, which Nelson denied. A lyric from Eminem’s 1999 hit “My Name Is” (“I just found out my mother does more drugs than me”) led Nelson to file a $10 million libel lawsuit against her son, which she won .

Eminem continued to reference his mother in songs like “Kill You” (“My momma used to tell me these crazy things… I realized she was the crazy one”), hurled profanities and accusations at her in “Cleaning Out My Closet.” She continues the heavy drug use in “My Mom”.

In 2000, Nelson released her own song, “Dear Marshall,” in which she apologized to Eminem and said, “Marshall, I did my best.” In the song, she asked her son to stop humiliating her.

In 2008, Nelson released her memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, in which she defended herself against allegations of negligence and abuse.

Five years later, Eminem released the shocking song “Headlights” in which he apologized to Nelson for expressing their relationship in his music and for being upset with her. “I don’t hate you, Ma. / You’re still beautiful to me ’cause you’re my ma,” Eminem sang. In the song, he told Nelson that he loved her and expressed regret that she did not have a relationship with her grandchildren.

Eminem’s relationship with his mother in recent years is unknown, although Nelson congratulated him on Twitter on his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. “I love you very much. I knew you could do it,” she wrote. “It was a long drive. I’m very, very proud of you.”