Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson, who once sued him for defamation, dies at 69

SAINT JOSEPH, MISSOURI: Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, also originally named Marshall Bruce Mathers III, has reportedly died at the age of 69.

Nelson died in St Joseph, Missouri, on Monday, December 2, after battling advanced lung cancer, according to TMZ, which she had been diagnosed with in September.

Debbie Nelson's legal battle with Eminem

Debbie Nelson and Eminem shared a turbulent relationship, but they made efforts to reconcile in recent years. Despite their past, Nelson expressed pride in her son’s success.

In 1999, she sued Eminem for $11 million in a defamation lawsuit over lyrics on his debut album, 'The Slim Shady LP'.

The court awarded her $25,000, though after legal fees, she received only about $1,600.

Their tense relationship was then again reflected in Eminem's 2002 song 'Cleanin’ Out My Closet'.

In 2013, Eminem seemed to apologize to his mother through his song 'Headlights', where he rapped, "I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt / My mom probably got it the worst."

He also added, "So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet," offering a heartfelt tribute to Nelson.

The mother-son duo appeared to have reconciled after Nelson congratulated Eminem on his 2022 Rock Hall of Fame induction.

"I love you very much. I knew you'd get there. It's been a long ride," she said.

"I'm very, very proud of you," she added in her statement, according to People.

Debbie Nelson's memoir details her troubled upbringing

Born in 1955 on a military base in Kansas, Debbie Nelson detailed her early life and relationship with her son Eminem in her 2008 memoir, 'My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem'.

She described growing up in a “large dysfunctional family” and experiencing a strained relationship with her father, who adopted two children with his new wife, one of whom was also named Debbie, People noted.

"It meant there were two Debbie Nelsons, and he obviously preferred his adopted daughter to me," she shared.

Nelson recounted the abuse she and her siblings faced from her stepfather, leading her to marry Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr, at age 16.

"Romantically, I thought he was way out of my league," Nelson wrote, adding, "I told him I prayed every night for a better life." The couple, however, separated after Eminem’s birth.

Debbie Nelson nearly died giving birth to Eminem

Debbie Nelson endured life-threatening complications while giving birth to Eminem in 1972, suffering seizures and falling into a coma due to toxemia blood poisoning.

"I remember holding a nurse’s hand and counting spots on the ceiling to take my mind off of the contractions," Nelson wrote in her memoir.

She woke up days later to find a priest praying over her. Nelson recalled the joy Eminem brought her from the start, saying, "From the moment he was born, my son Marshall was a beautiful actor. He knew exactly how to look at me from under his long dark eyelashes and put on a show."

Eminem’s estranged father, Mathers Jr, died in 2019 at the age of 67.