Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, passed away on December 2 at the age of 69. According to Eminem’s representative, her death was caused by complications related to lung cancer, as reported by a US media outlet.
Nelson was born in 1955. At just 16 years old, she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, in 1972, she gave birth to Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III.
Eminem and his mother had a strained relationship throughout his childhood and much of his career. This tension was highlighted in his 2002 song Cleanin’ Out My Closet, where he openly criticized her. Following the song’s release, Nelson filed a defamation lawsuit against her son, seeking $11 million.
In a 2008 interview with The Village Voice, Nelson expressed hopes of mending her relationship with Eminem. She remarked, “There’s hope for everybody. It’s a matter of swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check—it’s over, it’s done. You need to move on.”
Fans believed that Eminem extended an olive branch to his mother in 2013 with his song Headlights. In the song, he sings, “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.”
In recent years, Nelson celebrated her son from a distance. When Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she shared a heartfelt message online. In a video later deleted, she said, “Marshall, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame.”
Debbie Nelson is survived by her two sons, Eminem and Nathan Mathers.
