Deborah Nelson Mathers-Briggs, the mother of renowned rapper Eminem, passed away at the age of 69, as reported by Tengri Life citing TMZ.
According to media sources, the mother of the global rap star died after a prolonged illness. In September, doctors diagnosed her with stage four lung cancer. In recent months, Deborah had been undergoing treatment at a cancer center in St. Joseph.
Debbie Nelson gave birth to Marshall Bruce Mathers (Eminem's real name) when she was just 17 years old and nearly died during childbirth. Shortly after, Marshall's father left the family, moving to California, and never saw his son again. Later, Debbie had another son, Nate. Throughout Marshall's childhood, his mother frequently moved with her children between Missouri and Detroit, rarely staying in one home for more than a year. During his teenage years, Marshall often fought and argued with his mother.
Once he became a well-known artist, Eminem recorded the song "Cleanin’ Out My Closet" in 2002, where he spoke about the difficult family relationships. In the music video, he personally buries his mother's body.
"'Closet' is a brutal song, but I believe my mom was just as brutal to me in her own way. You spend your whole life trying to get rid of that person and live your own life, trying not to remember the past. But it's hard to let go. The memories come back, haunt you, and somehow seep into your life," Eminem shared about the track.
In 1999, Debbie sued her son for defamation. She disagreed with a line from another of his songs, "My Name Is": "I just found out that my mom does more drugs than I do," and filed a lawsuit for 10 million dollars. Ultimately, Debbie settled for a compensation of 25 thousand dollars.
For a long time after that, mother and son did not communicate. In 2013, in the music video for "Headlights," Eminem reached out to his mother with an apology. In the track, he expressed regret for the lost years. However, it seems that the woman portraying his mother in the video was not Deborah, as she later claimed that she had not seen her son for several years despite numerous attempts to contact him.
It is worth noting that in May 2024, it was revealed that Eminem's daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, got married. The ceremony was attended by the artist himself, along with his colleagues - Cent, Dr. Dre, and Jimmy Lovin.
In his video for the song "Temporary" from his latest album, Eminem candidly shared the news that he will soon become a grandfather.