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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.
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.”
In lyrics from his Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” from the movie “8 Mile,” his feelings seem to have simmered, referencing his “mom’s spaghetti.” The song went on to win best rap song at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
Nelson brought and settled two defamation lawsuits over Eminem’s statements about her in magazines and on radio talk shows. In her 2008 book, “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,” she attempted to set the record straight by providing readers details about the rapper’s early life.
Eminem earlier this month won for best hip hop act at the 2024 MTV EMAs and 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.
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