Eminem’s mom, Debbie Nelson, has died at the age of 69, it has been claimed.
The Without Me rapper’s mother is thought to have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer earlier this year.
According to TMZ, sources said that she died last night in Missouri, following a battle with cancer.
Her loved ones, including the musician – real name Marshall Mathers – have yet to speak publicly over their loss.
The Kansas native had had a fraught relationship with her first son, who she welcomed with her first husband, Marshall Bruce Mathers, in 1972.
She went on to welcome a second son 14 years later, introducing Nathan Samra-Mathers with Fred Samra Jr in 1986.
Speaking about Eminem’s birth in her book, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, she recalled: ‘From the moment he was born, my son Marshall was a beautiful actor.
‘He knew exactly how to look at me from under his long dark eyelashes and put on a show.’
Over the years, the pair had made their family struggles public, with Eminem slamming Debbie in the lyrics of his debut album, The Slim Shady – including his 1999 track, My Name Is.
He also directed his 2002 hit, Cleanin’ Out My Close, to their tense bond.
Debbie later took legal action against her eldest son, filing a defamation suit worth around $11million defamation in 1999 over his songs.
ABC News reports that a judge ruled in her favor at the time but offered her a $25,000 settlement amount, of which she took home around $1,600 after legal fees.
Addressing their tumultuous relationship in a rare interview in 2008, she shared that she was hopeful that they could put their differences aside, vowing to ‘never give up’ on her children.
‘I’m not ever going to give up on my kids. I won’t give up on anybody,’ she told Village Voice.
‘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.’
Five years later, Eminem used his Headlights track to issue an apology to his mother.
‘I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt,’ he rapped. ‘My mom probably got it the worst.
‘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.’
Debbie later publicly celebrated Eminem’s success in 2022 when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Although she wasn’t in attendance at the ceremony, she shared a now-deleted video on Twitter, sharing her pride at his milestone achievement.
‘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 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.’
Eminem has yet to speak out over his loss – the news comes five years after his dad died of a heart attack, at the age of 67.
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