Debbie Nelson, Eminem's mother, dies at 69

Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has died.

The rap icon's 69-year-old mother is said to have battled lung cancer and passed away on Monday (Dec 2) in St. Joseph, Missouri, according to TMZ.

Eminem, 52, and Debbie had a rocky relationship, with the rapper documenting their ups and downs in hits including Cleanin' Out My Closet and Headlights.

His mother's passing comes five years after his estranged father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr, passed away after a heart attack at the age of 67 in 2019.

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Debbie became pregnant with Eminem — whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III — when she was 18 in 1972.

She sued her son for US$11 million (S$14.8 million) for defamation because of the lyrics to 2002's Cleanin' Out My Closet.

Eminem starred in the 2002 film 8 Mile, which was loosely based on his own life growing up in a trailer park and his strained relationship with his mother.

It told the story of Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith Jr. (Eminem), a young white rapper trying to make it in the predominantly Black hip-hop scene of Detroit.

In an interview in 2008, Debbie admitted she wanted to put their differences aside.

She told Village Voice: "I'm not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won't give up on anybody.

"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."

By 2013, Eminem released Headlights as an apology to his mom.

When the rapper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Debbie congratulated him in a special video message.

She said: "Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame. 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 also had a second son, Nathan Samra-Mathers, with Fred Samra Jr in 1986.

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