Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper eminem and whose troubled relationship with his son was widely known because of the lyrics of his hit song, has died. She was 69 years old.
Eminem's representative Dennis Dennehy confirmed Nelson's death to CBS News Detroit in an email. No cause of death was given. Nelson was battling lung cancer.
Nelson's rocky relationship with his son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been no secret since the Detroit rapper rose to stardom.
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Eminem insulted his mother in songs such as his 2002 single “Cleaning Out My Closet”. Eminem sings, “Watching your mom pop prescription pills in the kitchen. Complaining that someone's always going through her purse and making the shit disappear. Going through the public housing systems, a victim of Munchausen syndrome. Mine My whole life I've been made to believe I was sick when I wasn't.”
In the lyrics of his Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” from the film “8 Mile,” his emotions seem to boil over, referencing his “mom's spaghetti.” The song won Best Rap Song at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem's statements about him in magazines and radio talk shows. In his 2008 book, “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem”, he attempted to set the record straight by providing readers with details about the rapper's early life.
Eminem won Best Hip Hop Act at the 2024 MTV EMAs earlier this month got involved Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
After announcing last month that he was going to be a grandfather, he announced that his daughter Hailey Jade was pregnant in a touching music video that was a tribute to their relationship.