Eminem‘s mother Debbie Nelson has reportedly died at age 69.
Nelson passed following a battle with advanced lung cancer on Monday evening in St. Joseph, Missouri, TMZ has reported.
Eminem – real name Marshall Mathers – and his mother have endured a strained relationship that’s played out in the public eye since the rapper came to fame over 25 years ago, but the duo had made an effort to repair the relationship.
In 2022, she congratulated her son on his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
During their rocky relationship, Eminem, 52, referred to his mother on the My Name Is track from the 1999 album The Slim Shady LP, which ultimately prompted a legal battle between the rapper and his mom.
In September, InTouch reported that Debbie was ‘terminally ill with advanced lung cancer’.
‘There are not many options [for Debbie],’ the source said. ‘She is currently staying between the cancer center and with family members. She has a very limited amount of time [left].’
The report alleged that Eminem had been assisting his mother financially but had been in contact with her or other family members in Missouri for ‘years.’
‘People around her aren’t even sure if Eminem is even aware of what is happening to his mother,’ the insider said. ‘He’s good to his mom. He makes sure he takes care of her, but they don’t really talk. It would be good for both of them [to communicate]. This could give them the chance to reconcile.’
The insider claimed Eminem has ‘trust issues’ with various family members following a legal battle with his aunt and uncle, who claimed their nephew attempted to evict them in a since-tossed lawsuit.
Eminem also faced a lawsuit from his mother.
In the song My Name Is, the rapper claimed his mother did ‘more dope than’ he did.
Debbie responded to her son by suing him for $11 million, claiming defamation of character.
The rapper and record producer’s lawyer then released a statement on behalf of his client saying that the lawsuit was as a ‘result of a lifelong strained relationship’ between the pair.
The lawsuit culminated with Debbie receiving $25,000 – most of which went to her lawyer.
Debbie gave birth to Marshall when she was just 18 and he was then abandoned by his father shortly after being born.
Debbie did not attend her son’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2022 but congratulated him via video.
Debbie addressed her son by saying: ‘Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame.’
Eminem starred in the 2002 film ‘8 Mile’, which was loosely based on his own life growing up in a trailer park and his strained relationship with his mother.
It told the story of Jimmy ‘B-Rabbit’ Smith Jr. (Eminem), a young white rapper trying to make it in the predominantly black hip-hop scene of Detroit.
In an interview in 2008, Debbie admitted she wanted to put their differences aside.
She told Village Voice: ‘I’m not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won’t give up on anybody.
‘There’s hope for everybody. 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.’
By 2013, Eminem released ‘Headlights’ as an apology to his mom.
He spat: ‘I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt/My mom probably got it the worst.’
Eminem added: ‘And I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad/So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet.’
