Mother of American rapper, Marshall Bruce Mathers III, a.k.a Eminem, Debbie Nelson, whose difficult relationship with her son was reflected in much of his earlier music, has died at the age of 69.
The BBC reports that the rapper’s representative, Dennis Dennehy, confirmed his mother’s death to US media.
Though known to have lung cancer, the cause of Debbie Nelson’s death is yet to be confirmed.
According to the report, the fraught relationship between Eminem and his mother was most starkly laid bare on one of his biggest hits, Cleanin’ Out My Closet.
In the 2002 song, Eminem furiously accuses her of drug abuse and neglect.
“Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen” he says, before later adding “keep telling yourself that you was a mom”.
Nelson sued her son for defamation in 1999 over another of his hits, My Name Is, but later said it was her lawyer’s idea and settled out of court for $25,000 (£19,000).
The rapper, who battled his own problems with prescription drugs, connected his own experiences of addiction with his mother’s, stating “that’s why I’m on what I’m on ’cause I’m my mom” on the 2009 track My Mom.
In 2008, Nelson wrote a memoir titled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, in which she said she was “heartbroken” over her son’s claims about her.
However, the toxicity in their relationship appeared to simmer down over the years.
In his 2013 track Headlights, the rapper showed remorse for some of his earlier lyrics.
“I’m sorry, Mama, for Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” he rapped. “At the time I was angry. Rightfully? Maybe so. Never meant to take it that far, though.”
They appear to have remained mostly estranged for the rest of her life, but when Eminem was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she publicly congratulated him.
“Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you,” she said in a video that was later deleted.
“I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you.”
