Eminem’s mom Debbie Nelson dead at 69 after battle with ‘advanced lung cancer’
The heartbreaking news comes months after her cancer diagnosis was revealed
EMINEM’S mom, Debbie Nelson, has died at 69 following a battle with advanced lung cancer.
Debbie died on Monday night in the birthplace of her rapper son, who she’s shared a complicated public relationship with throughout his decades-long career.
She passed away in St. Joseph, Missouri, where Eminem was born, according to .
Her cancer diagnosis was revealed in September. Reports at the time shared she didn’t have much longer to live.
The rapper, 51, has yet to comment on his mom’s death publicly.
The pair famously had a rocky relationship and became estranged after years of drama and legal battles.
Debbie sued her son for defamation in 1999 over song lyrics on his debut album, The Slim Shady LP, that insinuated that she did drugs.
Eminem’s lawyer, Paul Rosenberg, said at the time that the rapper’s music reflected his life story.
“Truth is an absolute defense to a claim of defamation,” Rosenberg said, calling the lawsuit “merely the result of a lifelong strained relationship between him and mother.”
“Regardless, it is still painful to be sued by your mother and therefore the lawsuit will only be dealt with through legal channels,” he added.
Debbie received a $25,000 settlement in 2001, but the majority of the payout went to her lawyer.
She also wrote a tell-all memoir in 2008 called My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, where she confessed she was “heartbroken” over Eminem’s claims about her.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, expressed regret over their feud in his 2013 song Headlights.
“I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt, my mom probably got it the worst,” he rapped.
Later in the song, he said, “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.”
Eminem's complicated relationship with his mom
Eminem shared a rocky relationship with his mom, Debbie Nelson, that faced public scrutiny throughout his decades-long career.
Here are some key moments throughout the mother and son’s complicated relationship:
- Debbie became pregnant with Eminem at 18, and his father abandoned them at his birth. They moved frequently and struggled financially.
- Eminem accused his mother of drug use in his 1999 track My Name Is, leading to a $10 million defamation lawsuit from Debbie, which was settled for $25,000 in 2001.
- In his 2002 song Cleanin’ Out My Closet, Eminem claimed Debbie had Münchausen syndrome by proxy and accused her of being addicted to Valium and causing his own addiction to the drug by putting it in his food when he was a child.
- Debbie denied these claims and wrote a 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, to set the record straight and express her heartbreak over the allegations.
- Their relationship improved after Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Eminem apologized in his 2013 song Headlights.
- In September 2021, Eminem opened Mom’s Spaghetti in downtown Detroit, which has received praise for its food but criticism for its high prices.
- Debbie congratulated him on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
In 2021, Eminem named his Detroit restaurant Mom’s Spaghetti as a reference to his iconic song Lose Yourself.
Eminem and Debbie’s relationship seemed to improve in recent years after Debbie congratulated him on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
“I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you,” she said in a video shared on social media.
It’s unclear if the mother and son were estranged at the time of her death.
Debbie, who previously battled breast cancer, leaves behind her two sons, Eminem and his younger brother Nate.
She’s survived by six grandchildren, including Hailie Jade, who announced her pregnancy in October.
