Eminem's mother, Debbie Nelson passes away at 69 after battle with lung cancer

Eminem

Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, has passed away at the age of 69 after battling lung cancer. According to a statement from Eminem's representative, Nelson died on December 2, 2024, due to complications from the disease. Born in 1955, Debbie Nelson married Eminem's father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., at the age of 16. Two years later, she gave birth to Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name, Eminem, in 1972. Despite the early family connections, Nelson's relationship with her son was far from easy.
Throughout Eminem’s rise to fame, he often referenced the troubled relationship with his mother, including in his 2002 hit song "Cleanin' Out My Closet."

The song's explicit lyrics led to a public dispute between the two, with Nelson filing a lawsuit against her son for defamation, seeking $11 million in damages. The rift between them became a significant part of Eminem’s public persona during the early years of his career.

In 2008, Nelson reflected on their relationship in an interview with The Village Voice. While acknowledging their challenges, she expressed hope for reconciliation, stating, “There’s hope for everybody. It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed cheque. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on.”

In 2013, Eminem seemed to extend an olive branch through his song "Headlights." The lyrics conveyed regret and love, with the rapper singing, "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." Fans interpreted this as an apology and a step toward healing their relationship.

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In recent years, Debbie Nelson appeared to embrace her son’s success from a distance. In 2022, when Eminem was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she publicly congratulated him. In a now-deleted video, she said, "Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame."

Nelson is survived by her two sons, Eminem and Nathan Mathers. The rapper has not publicly commented on his mother's passing, but it marks the end of a tumultuous chapter in both their lives.