Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, dies at 69

Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, dies at 69

Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem and whose rocky relationship with her son was known widely through his hit song lyrics, has died. She was 69.

Dennis Dennehy, a representative for Eminem, confirmed Nelson’s death to CBS News Detroit in an email. No cause of death was provided. Nelson had battled lung cancer.

Nelson’s fraught relationship with her son, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has been no secret since the Detroit rapper became a star.

Debbie Nelson
FILE – Debbie Nelson, mother of rap star Eminem, appears in Mount Clemens, Michigan, on April 10, 2001.

Paul Sancya / AP


Eminem disparaged his mother in songs such as the 2002 single “Cleaning Out My Closet.” Eminem sings, “Witnessin’ your momma poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen. Bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’ through her purse and shit’s missin’. Goin’ through public housing systems, victim of Münchausen’s Syndrome. My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t.”

was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

He said last month that he was going to be a grandfather, announcing his daughter Hailie Jade was pregnant with a touching music video that is a tribute to their relationship.

Source: cbsnews.com