Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, has died at the age of 69. Nelson passed away due to complications related to advanced lung cancer in St. Joseph, Missouri. Nelson married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was still a teenager, and gave birth to Eminem — born Marshall Mathers — on October 17, 1972. The pair had a contentious relationship over the years, which Em candidly expressed in his hits like “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” and “My Name Is.” Nelson sued her son for defamation in 1999, seeking $11 million in damages from the rapper. The judge ultimately ruled in her favor, however she was awarded only $25,000 in 2001.
Nelson also wrote a tell-all memoir in 2007 titled, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. Em tried to mend his relationship with his mother over the years, including this affectionate verse from 2013’s “Headlights”: “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.” (Billboard)
