Eminem’s heartbreak as mother Debbie Nelson dies aged 69

Eminem suffered a family tragedy this week when his mother, Debbie Nelson, sadly passed away after battling lung cancer.

The 69-year-old shared a rocky relationship with her superstar son, with frequent jabs hidden in Eminem’s lyrics over the years aimed at her; however, the pair appeared to have patched things up recently before her untimely death.

Debbie died on Monday evening in her Missouri home; the news was first reported by TMZ and confirmed by a representative of the rapper to People.

She married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was just 16 and gave birth to her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, at 18 years old. 

The 8 Mile star’s father left the family when he was just over a year old, and Debbie was left to raise him on her own; she later welcomed another child, Nathan Samara. 

Eminem and his mother have had a strained relationship since he shot to fame in 1999, with the rapper frequently calling her out in his songs. 

© Mark Weiss

In his 1999 album The Slim Shady LP, he claimed that Debbie frequently took illicit drugs, which led to a defamation case against the rapper. 

Debbie sued her son for $11 million at the time, and Eminem’s legal team wrote in a statement that the filing was the “result of a lifelong strained relationship” between the duo. 

The mother of two won the case; however, most of the money she received went to her lawyers. Debbie walked away with a mere $1,600. 

© Getty Images

Despite their legal battle, the pair put aside their differences in the following years, with Eminem apologizing in his songs for his behavior.

“I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt/My mom probably got it the worst,” he rapped on his 2013 song “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.”

© Mark Weiss

Debbie and Eminem’s relationship certainly had its ups and downs, but they eventually moved past their mutual animosity. 

“At the end of the day, she’s my mother, and I love her because she’s my mother,” the 52-year-old told BET.

“Even though we don’t really speak, you know what I mean; she is my mother, I do love her, and I think I got a better understanding of what she was going through or what she may be going through, you know what I mean?”

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He continued: “Now when I see myself and how I actually became. I think there’s a little compassion factored that goes with that.”

It seems the mother-son duo grew closer later in her life, with Debbie sending in a video to celebrate her son’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2022. 

“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 gushed at the time.

“I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride…I’m very, very proud of you.”