TMZ reported that Eminem’s representative, Dennis Dennehy, confirmed she died on Monday, December 2, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Debbie’s terminal diagnosis was first revealed in September, with reports indicating she had limited time left. Readers shared their condolences online, sympathizing with the 52-year-old musician and acknowledging the impact of lung cancer. Debbie’s passing comes years after the death of her ex-husband and Eminem’s father, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr., who died in 2019 from a heart attack at his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Eminem frequently addressed his father’s absence in his music, sharing how Bruce left the family when Eminem was just a toddler. Despite attempts by Bruce to reconcile later in life, including a public letter explaining his side of the story, father and son never met. Debbie, who married Bruce at 15, raised Eminem largely on her own after their separation. She later remarried and had another son, Nathan, but faced persistent financial instability and personal struggles. Her relationship with Eminem was often tumultuous and frequently played out in public.
In 1999, this tension escalated into a legal battle when Debbie filed an $11 million defamation lawsuit against him, claiming that lyrics on his debut album, “The Slim Shady LP,” falsely depicted her as neglectful and abusive, damaging her reputation. Reflecting on the case, Fred described Debbie as “the most high-maintenance client” of his legal career, adding, “That amount was a far cry to the time I dedicated to her personally and to the legal action.” Debbie was no stranger to challenges, often finding herself in the public eye as Eminem’s career soared.
By 2001, a Macomb County Circuit Court judge awarded Debbie $25,000, but $23,354.25 of that amount was allocated to her attorney, Fred Gibson, due to a prior agreement Debbie had signed, leaving her with only $1,600. The agreement required Debbie to use proceeds from the lawsuit to pay Fred for representing her ex-husband, John Briggs, who was convicted of home invasion and malicious destruction of property and served nine months in jail. Debbie later attempted to fire Fred, claiming she had been coerced into accepting the settlement, but the court rejected her argument, ruling she had forfeited her right to challenge the agreement.
She announced plans to publish a memoir as early as 2001, eventually releasing “My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on My Life” in 2008. In the book, she sought to present her perspective on their complicated relationship, countering the narratives in his music. In a Village Voice interview later that year, Debbie revealed she was battling health problems, some of which she believed were hereditary. “Cancers and heart disease and all that, and all the genetic things. I worry about my boys, having high-blood pressure and things,” Debbie said at the time of the interview.
She also discussed the difficulties of being thrust into the limelight as the mother of one of the world’s most famous rappers, often dealing with harsh public perceptions and unwanted attention. “I have doctors who’ve played a lot of games with me, then told me they have shrines to my son in their homes. Then call me aside and tell me, ‘I heard that little brat beat you everyday.’ And it’s like, ‘What? What does that have with me being here?’ It’s really sad,'” she recalled. Debbie also expressed frustration about being labeled “Eight Mile” by some police officers in Southern states, referencing the semi-autobiographical film starring Eminem.
