Entertainment
Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s mom, passes away after cancer struggle
Debbie Nelson, the mother of renowned American rapper Eminem, has passed away at the age of 69. According to a statement from Eminem’s spokesperson, Nelson died on Monday night in St. Joseph, Missouri, after a prolonged battle with lung cancer.
Despite the news, Eminem has yet to make a public statement about his mother’s passing.
Nelson became widely known through Eminem’s lyrics, which often portrayed their tumultuous relationship.
The rapper addressed their struggles in several tracks, including “My Name Is”, “Headlights”, and “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”
Their rocky history was further spotlighted when Nelson filed a $10 million lawsuit against Eminem, accusing him of defamation and emotional distress.
The lawsuit cited 25 instances where the rapper publicly accused her of drug abuse and violent behavior during his childhood.
Nelson’s passing marks the end of a complicated chapter in Eminem’s life, one that had a profound influence on his artistry and public persona.
However, the rapper revealed the suit was later settled out of court in his song ‘Without Me’.
In 2008, Nelson published a memoir, ‘My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,’ with the subtitle “Setting the record straight on my life as Eminem’s mother”.
She provided details about the rapper’s early life, the good times they had while asserting that Eminem still loves her but “just confused”.
“In my heart I know Marshall still loves me. He’s just confused,” she wrote
Nelson was born in 1955 on a US air force base in Kansas.
She got married to Bruce Mathers in 1970 at age 15. In 1972, she gave birth to Eminem in St. Joseph.
In 1974, she divorced him citing physical abuse.
She eventually relocated back to St Joseph, where she spent her final years after living briefly in Metro Detroit.