Debra Nelson, Eminem's mother, dies at 69

The death of Debbie Nelson, Eminem's single mother whose troubled relationship was public knowledge because to her son's blockbuster songs, has shocked the music industry. She was 69 at the time of her passing.

In an email confirming Nelson's passing, Eminem's longtime representative Dennis Dennehy said on Tuesday. Despite Nelson's struggle with lung cancer, he did not specify a cause of death, as The New York Post reported.

Nelson was born in 1955 on a Kansas military base. Since the Detroit rapper got famous, her struggling relationship with her son, Marshall Mathers III, has been public.

Eminem criticized his mother in 2002's "Cleaning Out My Closet."

Some of The Songs

Eminem referenced Nelson with lyrics such as: “Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen. ... My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t.”

In the lyrics of his Oscar-winning smash "Lose Yourself" from the film "8 Mile," his emotions appear to have simmered, as he references his "mom's spaghetti."

The song was awarded the title of "Best Rap Song" at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Nelson filed and ultimately resolved two defamation lawsuits against Eminem in response to his remarks regarding her in magazines and on radio talk programs.

Nelson's Take

Her 2008 book, “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem,” detailed the rapper's early life, claiming he had forgotten the good times.

“Marshall and I were so close that friends and relatives commented that it was as if the umbilical cord had never been cut,” she wrote.

She also provided a detailed account of her own childhood, which was characterized by a violent home environment. She stated that her father's mother, with whom she spent the summers, was "the only woman in my large dysfunctional family to show us kids love."

Getting Close

In an interview in 2008, Nelson discussed the possibility of making amends with Eminem: "There’s hope for everybody," she said at the time.

"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.”

It was believed that "Headlights," released in 2013, was an apology to Nelson.

"And I’m mad I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad," he sings in one part of the song. "So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet."