69-year-old mother of Eminem dies: why the rapper resented her and how he reacted to the tragedy

Debbie Nelson, the mother of American rapper Eminem, who often mentioned their tense relationship in his songs, has died. She was 69 years old.

The artist's representative, Dennis Dennehy, confirmed Nelson's death in an email on December 3, The Guardian reports. He did not specify the cause of death, although it is known the woman had been battling lung cancer for a long time.

Debbie's image in Eminem's songs

Nelson has been a center of the star's tracks since her very first releases. Although Debbie later argued in court that such portrayal of her as a drug addict and the detrimental influence on her son's life did not match reality. In particular, in the song "My Name Is," the first single from his 1999 breakthrough album The Slim Shady LP, Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, raps, "I just found out my mom does more dope than I do. I told her I'd grow up to be a famous rapper. I'm going to Make a record about doin' drugs and name it after her."

The infamous lawsuit

In September of the same year, the woman filed a lawsuit against her own son, claiming that he had defamed her in the lyrics and in numerous interviews related to the album's release. She claimed $10 million in damages, although the case was settled in 2001 for only $25,000, with the judge ruling that $23,354 would be her former lawyer's fees, leaving Nelson with only $1,646, The Independent reports.

After the court case was settled, Eminem responded to the lawsuit in what is probably his most famous song about his mother, 2002's "Cleanin' Out My Closet." The song's chorus states, "I'm sorry, Mama. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry. But tonight I'm cleanin' out my closet."

The rapper goes on to mention "witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen" and accuses her of intentionally making him sick, saying he was a " victim of Münchausen's Syndrome". "My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn't," the lines read.

The reaction of the rapper and family

The celebrity's half-brother, Nathan, reacted to their mother's death by posting an Instagram story and writing that he was overwhelmed with "hatred and mixed emotions". "Nate" Mathers, a DJ and music producer, also had a difficult relationship with Debbie, which ended with Eminem gaining custody of his brother. Nate's father, Fred Samra, was one of Nelson's boyfriends after Eminem's father left the artist when he was still a baby.

The rapper himself publicly ignored the news of his mother's death. Meanwhile, many of his fans are leaving condolence messages on his social media page.

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