On the night of December 2nd, Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s mother, passed away at the age of 69, as initially reported by TMZ and later confirmed by other media outlets. The cause? Last September, it was revealed that she had terminal lung cancer and she passed away this Monday in a hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, due to complications related to the disease.
She did not have an easy life. Born in 1955 on a military base in Kansas, she grew up in a dysfunctional family, or at least that’s what she recounted in her memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on My Life as Eminem’s Mom, published in 2008.
Her parents separated before she turned 10, and she had to take care of her five younger siblings. To escape her stepfather, she decided to marry at just 16 years old. She married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., and two years later, Eminem was born with many complications during childbirth.
The couple was in a band when they decided to separate, and Eminem stayed with his mother. His childhood and adolescence were a constant journey from place to place, eventually living for a long period in Detroit, in a predominantly black neighborhood where he endured several beatings.
Why Did Eminem and His Mother Have a Bad Relationship?
The relationship between Debbie Nelson and Eminem was very complicated. The rapper criticized her in several of his songs. In 2002, he released «Cleanin’ Out My Closet,» in which he accused his mother of abuse, attempting to poison him with psychotropic drugs, and wishing she would burn in hell. Her reaction was to take him to court for defamation. She won the case but was awarded only $25,000 of the $11 million she sought.
In 2009, Eminem released «My Mom,» a song in which he talked about his mother’s addictions, particularly her abuse of medications, and how that had influenced his own.
In her book, she denied all her son’s accusations: «What mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic living on welfare? (…) None of it was true, but the lies grew bigger and, in the end, Marshall and I became estranged.»
Still, it seems there was some reconciliation or regret in recent years. In 2013, Eminem released «Headlights,» in which he rapped: «I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt / My mom probably got it the worst. The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far? / ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ and all them other songs, but regardless I don’t hate you ‘cause, Ma, / You’re still beautiful to me, ‘cause you’re my mom.»
Debbie, for her part, shared a video — which she quickly deleted — congratulating him on his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022: ‘Marshall, I couldn’t let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,’ she said in the video. ‘I love you very much. I knew you’d make it. It’s been a long journey, and I’m very, very proud of you. I’m also so proud of Hailie Jade, my big girl. Hailie, great job on your podcast, and God bless you both. I love you very much.’
The father who abandoned Eminem and his wife died in 2019 at the age of 67, supposedly from a heart attack. Debbie is survived by her two sons, Eminem and Nathan Mathers.
The rapper has not yet commented on the incident, nor has his daughter Hailie Jade.
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