Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, passed away on December 2, 2024, at 69 after battling lung cancer in St. Joseph, Missouri. Born in 1955 on a Kansas military base, she had a challenging upbringing. At 16, she married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and gave birth to Eminem at 18.
Their tumultuous relationship often inspired Eminem’s music, leading to a defamation lawsuit in 1999 over his lyrics. Nelson later authored a memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, detailing their struggles. Despite estrangement, they reconciled in later years, with Eminem apologizing in his 2013 song “Headlights,” and Nelson expressing pride in his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
She is survived by her sons, Eminem and Nathan Mathers, and six grandchildren.
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