Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, shared a stressful relationship with his father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. He passed away at 67 after suffering cardiac arrest on June 26, 2019, at his home near Fort Wayne, Indiana. However, the exact cause of his death is unknown, as per a report in the People magazine.
If you listened to Eminem’s songs from the early stages of his career, you would know that he frequently bashed his parents, including his dad. His father abandoned him as an infant, and he grew up with a feeling of resentment towards him, which is reflected in his songs like Cleanin' Out My Closet, which states - "I never knew him. Never met him."
Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s mother, who recently passed away, mentioned in her 2008 memoir - My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem that she got married to Bruce when she was only 15 while he was 22.
“He never knew his father, and I did all I could to make up for it,” Nelson wrote in the memoir. “I wanted Marshall to have a relationship with his father… but Bruce didn’t want to know.”
The couple became parents to Eminem two years later. Soon after his birth, Debbie and Bruce split due to their sour relationship.
How was Eminem’s relationship with his parents?
Eminem shares a disturbing past with his dad while growing up. In an interview with Rolling Stones, he recalled how his father called when he stayed at his great-aunt and great-uncle’s place but never wished to speak to him on the phone.
“A lot of times he’d call, and I’d be there — maybe I’d be on the floor coloring or watching TV,” the rapper said. “It wouldn’t have been nothing for him to say, ‘Put him on the phone.’ He could talk to me, let me know something. ‘Cause as far as father figures, I didn’t have any in my life.”
Marshall moved on with another woman after leaving Eminem as a toddler and had two other kids, as per The Sun. According to Eminem’s mom Debbie, he tried sending him dozens of letters when he was a teenager, but they all came back marked “Return to Sender.”
However, Eminem’s dad tried to contact him before his death with the help of the news outlet The Mirror. “I desperately want to meet my son and tell him that I love him. I’m not interested in his money. I just want to talk to him. I want him to know that I’m here for him if he lets me back into his life” - he said.
Eminem was least interested in talking to him and told The Mirror that he always shunned him whenever he tried to contact him. He added that he could have made an effort.
“My father? I never knew him. I’ve never even seen a picture of him,” he said. “I heard my dad is trying to get in contact with me, but not now. I never got one letter. I never got anything from him and I think he could have at least tried to write. He could have done something – made an effort.” The rapper said.
Eminem had a troubled relationship with his mother, Debbie Nelson, as well. He has often slammed her for being physically and emotionally abusive towards her son. In his 2002 song, Cleanin' Out My Closet, the rapper gives details of his strained relationship with Nelson, referring to her mother’s drug addiction. The song later fuelled a public dispute between the mother and the son.
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However, Eminem’s relationship with his mother evolved over the years. In his song, Headlights he apologizes for being harsh towards his mom. He raps: “I don’t hate you ‘cause, Ma / You’re still beautiful to me.”
According to recent reports, Debbie Nelson passed away at 69 on December 2 in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was battling advanced lung cancer. The news of her illness first surfaced in September this year.
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