Eminem's mother has died: what is known about her
The media reported that the mother of the world rap star died after a long illness. In September, doctors diagnosed her with stage four lung cancer. Deborah spent the last few months undergoing treatment at an oncology center in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Debbie Nelson gave birth to Marshall Bruce Mathers (Eminem's real name) at the age of 17 and almost died in childbirth. After some time, Marshall's father left the family, moving to California, and never saw his son again. Marshall's mother, Debbie, later had another son, Nate. As a child, Eminem's mother and the children constantly moved from place to place between Missouri and Detroit, rarely staying in one house for more than a year. As a teenager, Marshall often argued and quarreled with his mother.
Already a famous performer, in 2002, Eminem recorded the song "Cleanin' Out My Closet", in which he spoke about the difficult relationships in his family. In the video for the song, he personally buries his mother's body.
"'Closet’ is a cruel song, but I think my mother was cruel to me at the time. You spend your whole life trying to get rid of that person and live your own life, not thinking about the past anymore. But it's hard to let go. The memories come back, haunt you, and somehow creep into your life," Eminem himself said about the track.
In 1999, Debbie sued her son for slander. She disagreed with the line from another of his songs, "My Name Is": "I just found out my mom does more dope than I do" and filed a lawsuit for $10 million. Debbie eventually agreed to $25 000 in compensation.
For a long time after that, the mother and son did not communicate. In 2013, in the video for "Headlights", Eminem addressed his mother with an apology. In the track, he expressed regret for the lost years. However, the artist's mother in the video, apparently, was not Deborah, as she later stated that she had not seen her son for several years after repeated attempts to contact him.