Eminem's Mom Debbie Nelson Dead at 69
Eminem's Mom Debbie Nelson Dead At 69
Eminem's family is mourning the loss of a loved one.
The "Without Me" rapper's mother Debbie Nelson has died at the age of 69 following a battle with advanced lung cancer, his rep confirmed to E! News Dec. 3. News of her passing comes nearly three months after multiple outlets reported she was battling a terminal illness.
Born at a military base in Kansas in 1955, Nelson married Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was 15, according to her 2008 memoir My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. She became pregnant with Eminem—whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III—16 months later and relocated to Michigan, where her maternal grandmother lived.
Throughout the early days of his career, Eminem publicly accused his mother of being abusive, noting the strain of their relationship within several songs, including in "Cleanin' Out My Closet."
“Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition,” he rapped in the 2002 single. “Take a second to listen 'fore you think this record is dissin' / But put yourself in my position, just try to envision / Witnessin' your mama poppin' prescription pills in the kitchen.”
However, Nelson has spoken out against her son's lyrics, denying his accusations.
"What mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic who lives on welfare?" she wrote in her biography. "None of it was true, but the fibs kept getting bigger, and ultimately Marshall and I became estranged."
The Grammy winner later shared that his perspective on their relationship changed over the years, noting that he had a different outlook as grew older.
Mark Weiss/Getty Images
“One of the things that I said and that I realized is, I mean at the end of the day, she’s my mother and I love her, because she’s mother,” he said during a 2009 appearance on BET's 106 & Park. “I mean, even though we don’t really speak, she is my mother. I do love her and I think I got a better understanding of what she was going through or what she may be going through, now that I see myself and how I actually became. I think that’s there a little compassion factor that goes with that.”
But he admitted that they had yet to reconnect at the time, adding that the last time the two spoke, “Probably been a couple of years, probably about three, maybe four years, something like that.”
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic & Mark Weiss/Getty Images
He also went on to express regret in sharing his family drama with the world, detailing the rift in his 2013 song "Headlights."
"I went in headfirst, never thinking about who, what I said hurt," he said. "In what verse, my mom probably got it the worst. The brunt of it, but as stubborn as we are, did I take it too far? / "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and all them other songs / But regardless, I don't hate you 'cause, Ma / You're still beautiful to me, 'cause you're my Ma."
TMZ was the first to report the news.
Read on for a more in-depth look at Eminem's family tree.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Kim Mathers
Born Kimberly Ann Scott, the Michigan native was Eminem's high school sweetheart. She welcomed their daughter Hailie Jade in 1995.
Kim was married to the rapper from 1999 to 2001, and briefly again in 2006. Their tumultuous relationship has been referenced in several of Eminem's songs, including "'97 Bonnie & Clyde," "Puke" and "Bad Husband."
"In our relationship, there's a pattern," Kim said of their on-and-off romance in a 2007 interview with 20/20. " We'll have two good years and then it will go bad for some reason. It's like a two-year max with us and we hadn't reached the two years yet. I just didn't want to rush into anything before the two years."
However, Kim noted that Eminem has always been an "excellent" father.
"He loves the kids very much," she shared. "He's always lending a helping hand."
Hailie Jade Scott
Eminem and Kim welcomed Hailie on Dec. 25, 1995. According to music star, her birth was a "real wake-up call" to "get my a-- in gear."
"Everything that I am doing right now is for Hailie," he told Q magazine in 2001. "The money—it's for her college."
She spent most of her youth under Eminem's 15,000-square-foot roof in the Detroit suburbs, before attending Michigan State University to study psychology. There, she met her now-husband Evan McClintock, who she married in May 2024 after getting engaged the year prior.
"She's doing good," Eminem said of Hailie during a 2020 episode of Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson, adding that the influencer—who now goes by Hailie Jade—graduated from college with a 3.9 GPA. "She's made me proud for sure."
In October 2024, Hailie announced her pregnancy with her and Evan's first child, a baby boy.
Alaina Marie Scott
Born on Feb. 22, 1993, Alaina is the daughter of Kim's sister Dawn Scott.
She was adopted by Eminem in the early aughts due to her mother's struggles with addiction. "I have full custody of my niece and joint custody of Hailie," the 8 Mile star told Rolling Stone in 2004. "I was always there for Hailie, and my niece has been a part of my life ever since she was born. Me and Kim pretty much had her, she'd live with us wherever we was at."
Having been largely raised by Eminem, the Oakland University alum calls him "dad" and had him accompany her down the aisle when she wed Matt Moeller in June 2023.
"He wasn't going to miss that," she told People after the nuptials, during which Hailie served as a Maid of Honor. "None of this would have been possible without my dad. I'm beyond blessed."
Her mother passed away in 2016 at the age of 41.
Stevie Laine Scott
Kim welcomed Stevie on April 16, 2002, with her then-boyfriend Eric Hartter. Eminem legally adopted Stevie in 2005, when he reconciled with Kim.
Stevie came out as nonbinary in August 2021, sharing in a TikTok video that they identify using "all pronouns."
They added in the caption, "forever growing and changing."
Mark Weiss/Getty Images
Debbie Nelson
Born in 1955 at a military base in Kansas, Debbie is the mother of Eminem.
She married the "Without Me" artist's father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. when she was 15, according to her 2008 memoir My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem. She became pregnant with Eminem 16 months later and relocated to Michigan, where her maternal grandmother lived.
Debbie and Eminem's strained relationship has been documented in several of his songs, including his 2002 smash hit "Cleanin' Out My Closet." In the track, he alleged that Debbie abused prescription pills when he was young—which she denied in her autobiography.
"What mother wants to be known as a pill-popping alcoholic who lives on welfare?" she wrote. "None of it was true, but the fibs kept getting bigger, and ultimately Marshall and I became estranged."
However, Eminem has since expressed regret in airing out his family drama. In his 2013 song "Headlights," he rapped, "I went in headfirst, never thinking about who, what I said hurt / In what verse, my mom probably got it the worst."
Nelson died at the age of 69 in 2024 following a battle with cancer.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App