Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson has died at 69 years old, as first reported by TMZ and confirmed by Billboard.
According to TMZ, Nelson passed away on Monday night (December 2nd) in St. Joseph, Missouri due to lung cancer. Nelson was reported to be terminally ill with advanced lung cancer in September.
Eminem’s meteoric rise to fame in the late ’90s shone a spotlight on his strained relationship with his mother. Nelson went as far as suing him for defamation, claiming he slandered her in interviews by implying she was an unstable drug abuser.
After Eminem portrayed her in a negative light on songs like “My Name Is” and “Kill You,” Nelson attempted to set the record straight on two tracks she released with a rap duo called Idx. Eminem famously responded to the lawsuit and songs on his 2002 hit, “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”
Nelson’s 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall My Son Eminem, further strained their relationship. As time passed, however, it appeared that they made attempts to reconcile.
In 2013, Eminem apologized to his mother on “Headlights” off The Marshall Mathers LP 2. More recently, Nelson posted a social media video congratulating her son’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“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. “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you.”
Eminem’s estranged father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., died in 2019 at 67.