Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s Mother, Passes Away At 69

Debbie Nelson, the mother of iconic rapper Eminem, has passed away at 69 years old. Her representative confirmed to PEOPLE that she died on Monday, December 2, in St. Joseph, Missouri, due to complications from lung cancer. The news was initially reported by TMZ, with earlier updates on her illness emerging in September.

Debbie’s life was marked by its complexity and resilience. Born in 1955 on a military base in Kansas, she described her upbringing as part of a “large dysfunctional family” in her 2008 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. After her parents’ divorce before she turned 10, Debbie took on the role of caretaker for her four younger siblings, a responsibility that shaped her early years.

At just 16, she married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., Eminem’s father, and welcomed her son two years later in 1972. However, the relationship between mother and son would go on to be turbulent, with their struggles often played out in the public eye. Eminem, now 52, referenced their rocky bond in his 2002 track Cleanin’ Out My Closet, which prompted Debbie to file an $11 million defamation lawsuit against him. Although she won the case, she was awarded only $25,000, with the final amount reduced to about $1,600 after legal fees.

Despite their challenges, Debbie expressed hope for reconciliation. In a 2008 interview with The Village Voice, she spoke of the possibility of healing their relationship. “There’s hope for everybody. It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on,” she said at the time.

Eminem seemed to address their fraught history in his 2013 song Headlights, where he reflected on his regrets and thanked Nelson for the sacrifices she made. In the song, he sings, “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.”

In recent years, Debbie celebrated Eminem’s achievements from afar. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she shared a heartfelt video tribute. “Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,” she said, adding, “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you.”

Debbie’s life was not without tragedy beyond her relationship with Eminem. Her estranged husband, Eminem’s father, passed away in 2019 at the age of 67. She is survived by her sons, Eminem and Nathan Mathers, who now mourn the loss of their mother.