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Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has reportedly passed away following her battle with cancer.
According to a report TMZ published on Tuesday, December 3, Eminem's mom died last night at a hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was diagnosed with lung cancer back in September and wasn't given much time to live. Most fans know that Em's relationship with his mom was rocky, to say the least. However, they reconciled over the past decade especially after Eminem apologized for the way he treated her in his 2013 song "Headlights." As of this report, Eminem has not publicly commented on his mother's death.
Eminem moved from his birthplace of St. Joseph to Detroit with his mom in the 1980s where he grew up and discovered his passion for making music. During the early days of his career, Eminem described her as a "lawsuit queen" after she sued him for defamation. She claimed he slandered her when he rapped lyrics about her using drugs on his breakthrough hit "My Name Is.." She came out victorious after a two-year trial and won $25,000. That was just the beginning of their public feud.
Slim Shady dissed his mom again on the hit 2002 song "Cleaning Out My Closet." On the track, he claimed she was neglectful and abusive while he lived with her in Detroit. In her 2008 autobiography My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, Nelson denied Em's accusations and claimed he lied to build his music career. She also claimed that she sued him for defamation to halt the foreclosure of their family home in Detroit. However, she maintained that she was never mad at her son.
Although he sarcastically apologized to her in the hit song's chorus, Eminem eventually reached out to his mother with an authentic apology in 2013. On the song "Headlights," he rapped "I'm sorry, Mama, for 'Cleanin' Out My Closet'/At the time I was angry, rightfully? Maybe so, Never meant that far to take it, though."
Debbie Nelson also made amends with her son later in life. She made headlines when she congratulated Eminem after he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Rest in peace, Debbie Nelson.