Debbie Nelson, the mother of rap star Eminem, has died, a representative for the musician confirmed to NBC News. She was 69.
Nelson died in a Missouri hospital Monday night from lung cancer, TMZ reported.
Nelson and her son’s strained relationship was often highlighted in his music early in his career. In two of his most popular songs, “My Name Is” and “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” he accuses his mother of abusing drugs and being neglectful.
Nelson filed a $10 million lawsuit against her son, born Marshall Mathers, for defamation in 1999, and won, Variety reported. She also responded to her son’s music with a book in 2008 titled “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,” in an attempt to clear her name.
“‘My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem’ is her rebuttal to these widely believed lies — a poignant story of a single mother who wanted the world for her son, only to see herself defamed and shut out when he got it,” reads a blurb on the back of the book.
In an interview with “TODAY” after the book was published, Nelson said it wasn’t her intention to sue Mathers. Eminem and his then-wife were living in Nelson’s house that was going to be repossessed, prompting her to hire a lawyer. It was the lawyer who filed for defamation after finding out who her son was.
A representative for Eminem did not share any additional comment.
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