Eminem’s mother Debbie Nelson dies aged 69 after lung cancer battle
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Debbie Nelson, the mother of rap icon Eminem, has passed away at the age of 69.
A spokesperson for Eminem has verified to People that Nelson passed away last night (December 2) in St. Joseph, Missouri. The cause of his death was cited as complications related to lung cancer.
In September, it was announced that Nelson was in the final stages of an illness and likely had only a short time left to live.
Eminem had a well-known rocky relationship with his mother, frequently portraying her in his songs as troubled and challenging. In his 2002 hit "Cleanin' Out My Closet," he expresses his feelings with the lines: "I'm sorry, Mom / I never wanted to hurt you / I never intended to make you weep / But tonight I'm facing my past."
In 2008, Nelson released a revealing memoir that detailed her life and experiences with the rapper known as Marshall Mathers. The book is called My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on My Life as Eminem’s Mother.
In her memoir, Nelson stated that a lot of her son's comments about her were either fabricated or blown out of proportion to support his career as a rapper. She revealed that she filed a defamation lawsuit against him in 2000 to gather funds to prevent her house from being taken away. Additionally, she mentioned that she did not harbor any resentment towards her son.
"In my role as a mother, I believe my biggest error was indulging my oldest son's every desire," Nelson reflects in the book.
"He never got the chance to know his dad, and I tried my best to fill that gap. It hurt me when he created a completely different life — what mother wants to be seen as a drug-dependent alcoholic relying on government assistance? Honestly, it shattered my heart."
“The untruths began to pile up quickly, and it wasn't only Marshall who was spreading them. It seems he's lost sight of the enjoyable moments we shared, and this book is my attempt to clarify things.”
Nelson was born in 1955 on a military installation in Kansas to her parents, Betty Hixson and Bob Nelson. Throughout her life, she held several different jobs, including running her own taxi and limousine business.
At the time Eminem was born, she went by Debbie Mathers, but after gaining notoriety from her son's songs, she decided to go back to her original name, Debbie Nelson.
She is remembered by her sons, Marshall Mathers and Nathan Samra-Mathers, as well as her grandchildren, Hailie Jade, Alaina Marie Mathers, and Stevie Laine.
