Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, died on Monday, December 2, at the age of 69, reports the New York Times. Vulture has confirmed the news with Eminem’s representative. People reports that Nelson died of complications with lung cancer. Nelson gave birth to Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, on October 17, 1972, when she was 17 years old, and he is her oldest son. Her ex-husband, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. (who died in 2019), left their family shortly after Eminem was born, and she became a single mother with Eminem and his half-brother, Nathan Mathers. “Hatred and mixed emotions today,” Nathan posted on Instagram Stories on December 3, seemingly referencing the news. Nelson’s strained relationship with Eminem was discussed in several songs in his early music; she even went as far as suing him for defamation for the 1999’s single “My Name Is,” with lyrics like “99 percent of my life, I was lied to/I just found out my mom does more dope than I do (Damn).” She won the lawsuit and received about $25,000.
However, the lawsuit never scared Eminem from writing more songs about his mother. 2002’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” featured heavy criticism of both of his parents: “Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition/Take a second to listen ‘fore you think this record is dissin’/But put yourself in my position, just try to envision/Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen/Bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’ through her purse and shit’s missin’.” He did affectionately refer to his mother in one of his most famous lyrics (“Mom’s Spaghetti” in “Lose Yourself”) and eventually opened a restaurant and pasta line with the same name.
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