Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson dies at 69 after cancer battle

Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, has died at the age of 69. 

A rep for Eminem confirmed that Nelson d!ed in the evening on Monday, Dec. 2, in St. Joseph, Missouri, from complications related to lung cancer. 

News of her illness was first reported by multiple outlets in September.

Nelson was 16 when she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, she welcomed the “Lose Yourself” rapper in 1972.

Eminem, 52, and his mother Debbie Nelson had a rocky relationship throughout his 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. 

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.

Nelson considered reconciling with Eminem in a 2008 interview with The 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.”

As for Debbie Nelson, she celebrated her son from afar in recent years. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she congratulated him online. 

“Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,” she said in a since-deleted video.

“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.” 

Eminem’s estranged father died in 2019 at 67. 

Along with Eminem, Debbie Nelson is survived by son Nathan Mathers.