News | Entertainment
20 Dec 2025 19:23
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Eminem's mother Debbie Nelson has died

    The 52-year-old rap icon's 69-year-old parent is said to have battled lung cancer and passed away on Monday (01.12.24) in St. Joseph, Missouri, according to TMZ


    The 'Lose Yourself' hitmaker and Debbie had a rocky relationship, with the rapper documenting their ups and downs in hits including, 'Cleanin' Out My Closet' and 'Headlights'.

    The Mom's Spaghetti restaurant founder's mother's passing comes five years after his estranged father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr, passed away after a heart attack at the age of 67 in 2019.

    Debbie became pregnant with Eminem - whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III - when she was just 18 in 1972.

    She sued her son for $11 million for defamation because of the lyrics to 2002's 'Cleanin' Out My Closet', on which he rapped: "Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition

    "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."

    Eminem starred in the 2002 film '8 Mile', which was loosely based on his own life growing up in a trailer park and his strained relationship with his mother.

    It told the story of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), a young white rapper trying to make it in the predominantly black hip-hop scene of Detroit.

    In an interview in 2008, Debbie admitted she wanted to put their differences aside.

    She told Village Voice: "I'm not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won't give up on anybody.

    "There's hope for everybody. 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."

    By 2013, Eminem released 'Headlights' as an apology to his mom.

    He spat: "I went in headfirst, never thinking about who what I said hurt/My mom probably got it the worst."

    Eminem added: "And I'm mad I didn't get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad/So Mom, please accept this as a tribute I wrote on this jet."

    When her son was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Debbie congratulated him in a special video message.

    She said: "Marshall, I want to say, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame. I love you very much. I knew you'd get there. It's been a long ride. I'm very, very proud of you.

    Debbie also had a second son called Nathan Samra-Mathers with Fred Samra Jr in 1986.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     20 Dec: Lewis Capaldi has dismissed speculation of a feud with Taylor Swift, branding the rumours "hogwash"
     20 Dec: Sharon Osbourne considered sending Roger Waters a box of her poop after he mocked her dead husband Ozzy
     20 Dec: Gary 'Mani' Mountfield is set to be laid to rest on December 22 in Manchester
     20 Dec: Tate McRae has felt overwhelmed by the scrutiny she's faced
     20 Dec: Ethan Hawke writes all of his lines by hand
     20 Dec: Jelly Roll "could feel [himself] dying" before embarking on his weight-loss journey
     20 Dec: Sydney Sweeney felt a "bittersweet emptiness" after she finished filming Christy
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    A steep challenge juggling a busy calendar for incoming Black Ferns head coach Whitney Hansen More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle has shed light on the challenge sports administrators face between balancing transparency and confidentiality More...



     Today's News

    Boxing:
    Jake Paul knocked out by Anthony Joshua in sloppy Netflix boxing match in Miami 19:06

    Soccer:
    The Wellington Phoenix women have snapped their two-match A-League losing streak in emphatic fashion 18:56

    Entertainment:
    Lewis Capaldi has dismissed speculation of a feud with Taylor Swift, branding the rumours "hogwash" 18:50

    International:
    Easy last-minute baked gifts 18:46

    Living & Travel:
    Vanuatu continues to rebuild one year after devastating earthquake 18:36

    Soccer:
    The Wellington Phoenix women have trounced Sydney FC 7-nil in their A-League football encounter 18:36

    Entertainment:
    Sharon Osbourne considered sending Roger Waters a box of her poop after he mocked her dead husband Ozzy 18:20

    Politics:
    Festive season spending's being hampered for women, who are effectively now working for free 18:06

    Law and Order:
    A first look through the Epstein files reveals celebrity snaps, police notes and a lot of Bill Clinton 18:06

    Entertainment:
    Gary 'Mani' Mountfield is set to be laid to rest on December 22 in Manchester 17:50


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd