Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, dead at age 69

Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, has died. She was 69.

A representative for Eminem confirms to PEOPLE that Nelson died on the evening of Monday, December 2 in St. Joseph, Mo., of complications related to lung cancer. TMZ was the first to report the news of Nelson’s death.

News of her illness was first reported by several outlets in September.

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Nelson was born in 1955 on a military base in Kan. and said she grew up in a “big dysfunctional family,” according to her 2008 memoir, My son Marshall, my son Eminem. Her parents separated before she turned 10, she wrote in the book, leaving her responsible for supporting the family as the oldest of five children.

At the age of 16, she married Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Two years later, she welcomed the “Lose Yourself” rapper in 1972.

Eminem, 52, and Nelson had a rocky relationship throughout her life. He apparently called her out in his 2002 song “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” which led to Nelson suing her son for $11 million for defamation.

ABC News reported that while the judge ruled in her favor, Nelson was only awarded $25,000 of the $11 million she was asking for. In the end, she was only entitled to about $1,600 after legal fees.

Nelson considered reconciling with Eminem in a 2008 interview with The village voice. “There is hope for everyone,” 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 have to move on.”

In 2013, when the rapper released “Headlights,” fans speculated that it was his apology to Nelson. “And I’m mad that I didn’t get the chance to thank you for being my mom and my dad,” he sings in part of the song. “So mom, please accept this as a tribute, I wrote on this jet.”

She celebrated her son from a distance in recent years. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, she congratulated him online.

“Marshall, I want to say, I couldn’t let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction into the Hall of Fame,” she said in a since-deleted video.

“I love you so much. I knew you would get there. It’s been a long ride,” Nelson added at the time. “I’m very, very proud of you.”

Eminem’s estranged father died in 2019 aged 67. Along with Eminem, Nelson is survived by son Nathan Mathers.