Eminem's mom Debbie Nelson (69) dies after lung cancer battle

Clarence Ford speaks to Barbara Friedman, Digital Content Editor for Primedia Plus.

(Skip to 6:18 on the audio player below for this story.)

Rap legend Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has passed away at 69 years old after battling lung cancer.

The rapper often referenced his troubled relationship with his mom through song lyrics, particularly in his 2002 hit single 'Cleaning Out My Closet'.

Eminem sings: “Witnessin’ your mama 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.”

Lyrics of his Oscar and Grammy-winning hit 'Lose Yourself' from the movie 8 Mile suggest his feelings seemed to have simmered, referencing his 'mom’s spaghetti'.

Some fans online also noted that the rapper had two defamation lawsuits against his mom while noting that Eminem took in his half-brother when he was 16 years old because his mom couldn't take care of him because of her alleged addiction struggles.

Nelson, born in 1955 on a military base, grew up in a 'large, dysfunctional family," according to her 2008 memoir My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. Her parents split up before she turned 10, she wrote in the book, leaving her responsible for providing for the family as the oldest of five children.

At age 16, Nelson married Eminem's father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, in 1972, she gave birth to the legendary musician.

Earlier this month, the highly acclaimed rapper won 'Best hip-hop act' at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

Mathers announced last month that he was going to be a grandfather in a touching music video revealing that his daughter Hailie Jade is pregnant.

Eminem has not posted or responded online to his mom's death.

These are some of the videos that resurfaced since news about Nelson's death: 

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