Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, dies at the age of 69

EminemDebbie Nelson’s mother, with whom the rapper had a complicated, often controversial relationship, has died. She was 69 years old. Dennis Dennehy, Eminem’s longtime representative, confirmed Nelson’s death Rolling Stone. The cause of death was not immediately determined.

Nelson gave birth to Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers), her eldest son, on October 17, 1972, at the age of 18. Rolling Stone In Eminem’s profile, Nelson said that she married Eminem’s father, Bruce Mathers, when she was 15 and he was 22, and that the couple spent several years playing together in the band Daddy Warbucks.

Shortly after Eminem’s birth, Bruce left the family, and Nelson largely raised the rapper and his half-brother Nathan on his own. For years they traveled throughout Michigan and Missouri, finally settling in Detroit.

While Nelson maintained that she provided financial and emotional support for her son, Eminem in his 1999 story said that they argued constantly. He accused her of stealing his paychecks, frequently kicking him out of the house, taking pills and taking other drugs that caused his mood swings. (Nelson denied ever taking drugs.)

As Eminem turned to music, Nelson became a frequent target and antagonist. In the song “My Name Is”, Em’s lyrics “I just found out my mom does more drugs than me” prompted Nelson to file a lawsuit $10 million defamation lawsuit against her son. While Nelson won the lawsuit, she apparently he received only $25,000, most of which went to cover legal fees.

Despite the legal battle, Eminem continued to write scathing bars about Nelson in songs like “Kill You” and “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.” Nelson, in turn, dropped her own diss track on her son. In the early 2000s, hip-hop group ID-X asked Nelson (who was passing by at the time Debbie Mathers-Briggs) if she wanted to release her own CD, and she agreed. In one of the two songs, “Dear Marshall,” Nelson recites an open letter to his son in which he alternates between scolding him and admitting his own mistakes.

“Marshall, I did everything I could,” she says at one point. “I went without looking for the half/It was wrong for me and now I see I gave you everything/And I never questioned anything you did/Because you were perfect in my eyes/My unconditional love created a broken young man.” Finally, he scolds, “Will the real Marshall Mathers stand up and take responsibility for his actions?”

Then, in 2008, Nelson published a compelling book called My son Marshall, my son Eminem. In an interview with MTV News Nelson said of her son at the time: “He never knew his father, and I did everything I could to make up for it. I wasn’t happy when he started a completely new life for himself – what mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic living on benefits? Truth be told, I was heartbroken. The lies started coming thick and fast – and not just from Marshall… I think he forgot what good times we had, and this book is my way of setting the record straight.”

While the exact nature of Eminem’s relationship with his mother in recent years is unknown, there have been some signs of easing the tension between them. On his 2013 song “Flights” Eminem apologized to Nelson, expressing regret about “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” (“I don’t play that song at shows anymore / And I cringe every time it comes on the radio”) and at one point stating, “Because to this day you still stay in separation, but I hate it. / Because you won’t even witness your grandchildren growing up.

Recently, in 2022, Nelson celebrated Eminem’s birthday induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although Nelson was not present at the ceremony, she wrote on Twitter at the time (via People), “Marshall, I want to say that I couldn’t let this day go by without congratulating you on your Hall of Fame induction. I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It was a long journey. I’m very, very proud of you.”