Eminem’s maternal grandmother, Betty, has died. She was 87. According to reports from TMZ, Betty passed away at her home in Missouri.
Betty was the mother of Eminem’s late mom, Debbie. At this time, no official cause of death has been released. However, TMZ was told that Betty died from complications due to breast cancer. Eminem was reportedly not with his grandma when she passed.
TMZ reports that in 2000, Betty heavily criticized him in an interview with London’s Mirror newspaper. “Neither his mother Debbie nor I can figure out what happened to this sweet, caring youngster,” she told the outlet. “In just over 12 years, he’s gone from telling me, ‘Grandma, I love you,’ to ‘Go to hell.’ It just breaks my heart.”
The nature of Eminem’s relationship with his grandmother is unclear.
“I can’t believe this is my Marshall,” she added, “the same boy who used to come and sit on my lap.”
Eminem’s mom, Debbie, died in December 2024 following a lung cancer battle. The pair had a notoriously rocky relationship over the years. However, in a 2008 interview, Debbie opened up about wanting to clear the air and reconcile. “I’m not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won’t give up on anybody,” She told the Village Voice. “There’s hope for everybody.”
Debbi went on to say, “It’s a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It’s like a cashed check. It’s over, it’s done. You need to move on.”
At this time, Eminem does not appear to have issued a statement on the death of his grandmother
As for Eminem, he did show signs of trying to work on his negative feelings toward his mother. The Daily Mail reports that in a past interview, Em confessed, “At the end of the day, she’s my mother, and I love her because she’s my mother.”
“Even though we don’t really speak, you know what I mean, she is my mother, I do love her,” he continued, “and I think I got a better understanding of what she was going through or what she may be going through, you know what I mean? Now, when I see myself and how I actually became. I think there’s a little compassion factored that goes with that.”
He later admitted that it had been some time since they’d last spoken: “It’s probably been a couple years. Maybe three, even four years.”
The post Eminem’s Grandma, Betty, Has Died at 87 appeared first on VICE.
