(WWJ) — Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, has reportedly died at the age of 69.
Nelson, who was often a target of the Detroit rapper’s lyrics over the years, died in Missouri on Monday following a battle with lung cancer, according to a report from TMZ. Her diagnosis was revealed in September.
Eminem and Nelson had a contentious relationship over the years, which he often rapped about, especially in his earlier songs. On “My Name,” the song that helped shoot him to worldwide stardom in 1999, he rapped, “I just found out my mom does more dope than I do.”
Other songs in which he rapped about his mother include “Kill You,” “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” and “Without Me,” the latter in which he referenced a lawsuit that had been filed by Nelson.
She filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit for defamation of character in 1999, which was settled two years later for $25,000, according to The Detroit News.
“I just settled all my lawsuits, F*** you, Debbie,” he said on the 2002 single.
Eminem did, however, issue a public apology of sorts in the 2013 song “Headlights,” in which he said that he no longer plays “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” at his shows and “I cringe every time that it’s on the radio,” before going on to say, “I will always love you from afar, because you’re my mom.”
Nelson, who used her maiden name after her son’s rise to stardom, released a video congratulating him when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall-of-Fame in 2022, saying “Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame. I love you very much. I knew you'd get there. It's been a long ride. I'm very, very proud of you."
She also wrote a memoir in 2007 titled "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on my Life as Eminem's Mother."
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