Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapperEminem, has died. She was 69.
A rep for Eminem confirms to PEOPLE that Nelson died in the evening on Monday, Dec. 2, in St. Joseph, Mo., from complications related to lung cancer.TMZwas first to report the news of Nelson’s death.
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Nelson was born in 1955 on a military base in Kan. and said she grew up in a “large dysfunctional family,” according to her 2008 memoir,My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem.Her parents split up before she turned 10, she wrote in the book, leaving her responsible to provide for the family as the oldest of five children.
At age 16, she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, she welcomed the “Lose Yourself” rapper in 1972.
Debbie Nelson in September 2005 in Detroit, Michigan.Mark Weiss/Getty
Mark Weiss/Getty
Eminem, 52, and Nelson had a rocky relationship throughout her life. He apparently called her out in his 2002 song “Cleanin' Out My Closet,” which led to Nelson suing her son for $11 million for defamation.
ABC Newsreported that while the judge ruled in her favor, Nelson was only granted $25,000 of the $11 million dollars she asked for. Ultimately, she was only entitled to about $1,600 after lawyer fees.
Eminem attends a ceremony honoring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 30, 2020. ; minem’s mother Debbie Mathers during a portrait session outside her house in September, 2005 in Detroit, Michigan.Kurt Krieger/Corbis/Getty ; Mark Weiss/Getty
Kurt Krieger/Corbis/Getty ; Mark Weiss/Getty
Nelson considered reconciling with Eminem in a 2008 interview withThe Village Voice. “There’s hope for everybody,” she said at the time. “It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on.”
In 2013 when the rapper released “Headlights,” fans speculated that it was his apologizing to Nelson. “And I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad,” he sings in one part of the song. “So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet.”
Debbie Nelson in 2005.Mark Weiss/Getty
She celebrated her son from afar in recent years. When he wasinducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 2022,she congratulated him online.
“I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride,” added Nelson at the time. “I’m very, very proud of you.”
source: people.com
