Eminem’s Mother Debbie Nelson Dead at 69

Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, has died, Billboard can confirm. She was 69 years old.

TMZ was the first to report the news. According to the outlet, Nelson passed due to complications related to advanced lung cancer in St. Joseph, Mo. Billboard has reached out to the medical examiner’s office. Reports of her cancer diagnosis surfaced earlier in 2024.

Nelson was born on a military base in Kansas as the oldest of five children. She married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. as a teenager, and gave birth to Eminem — born Marshall Mathers — on Oct. 17, 1972.

Em and his mother went through a turbulent relationship during his childhood and into his Hall-of-Fame career. The Detroit rap icon expressed his derision for his mother on hits such as “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” and “My Name Is.”

Nelson ended up suing her son for defamation in 1999, seeking $11 million. Although the judge ruled in her favor, she was awarded only $25,000 in 2001 and recouped much less after legal fees, per ABC News.

She also exposed a large part of her relationship with Eminem throughout her revealing 2007 memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem.

Em had publicly extended an olive branch to his mother while regretting how he handled their relationship over the years on tracks such as 2013’s “Headlights.”

“And I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad/ So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet,” he raps on The Marshall Mathers LP 2 cut.

In more recent years, Nelson applauded her son for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. “Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,” she said in a congratulatory video message at the time. “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. It’s been a long ride. I’m very, very proud of you. And also I’m very proud of [granddaughter] Hailie Jade, my big girl. I want to tell you, Hailie, great job on your podcast and God bless you guys. I love you very much.”