Debbie Nelson, mother of best-selling rapper Eminem, died Dec. 2 following complications from lung cancer at age 69. The “Houdini” hitmaker often referenced the strained relationship with his mother in his lyrics. (I just settled all my lawsuits / F– you Debbie!) However, Eminem (born Marshall Mathers III) has since publicly expressed regret for the harsh barbs he hurled at his mother throughout his career. Apparently, the rapper’s half-brother is still working through his emotions toward their mother’s death.
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Nate Mathers Expresses “Hatred and Mixed Emotions” Toward Mother’s Death
Nathan Mathers, younger half-brother of Eminem, shared a simple five-word message to his Instagram Stories Tuesday (Dec. 3.)
“Hatred and mixed emotions today,” the music producer, 38, wrote over a black screen.
Eminem Was a Father Figure to His Younger Brother
Eminem, 52, is 13 years older than his brother, born to Debbie Nelson (formerly Mathers) and then-boyfriend Fred Samra in 1986. The “Without Me” rapper assumed the role of father figure until Nate was placed in foster care at 8 years old.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind “Headlights” by Eminem and How It’s a Public Apology to His Mom]
The 15-time Grammy Award winner has spoken frankly about his battle to gain full custody of his brother. “I mean, I cried just going to see him at the foster home,” Eminem told Rolling Stone in a 2004 interview. “The day he was taken away, I was the only one allowed to see him. They had come and got him out of school. He didn’t know what the f— was going on.”
Realizing “the same thing that had happened in my life was happening in his,” Eminem first applied for full custody of his brother at age 20. ” [But] I didn’t have the means,” he told Rolling Stone. “I couldn’t support him.”
Things had changed by the time Nate turned 16, when his older brother officially became his legal guardian. Eminem essentially raised Nate and Alaina Scott (his ex-wife Kim’s niece) alongside daughter Hailie, now 28.
“[Just] watchin’ the cycle of dysfunction, it was like, “Man, if I get in position, I’m gonna stop all this s—,” he said. “And I got in position and did.”
Now married with three children, Nate has called his big brother “the best role model I could have had.”
Featured image by Judie Burstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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