Debbie Nelson, the single mother of rapper Eminem, known for their tumultuous relationship widely publicized through his lyrics, has passed away at the age of 69.

Eminem’s longtime representative, Dennis Dennehy, confirmed Nelson’s death via email on Tuesday but did not disclose the cause as reported by BBC. Nelson had previously battled lung cancer.

Born in 1955 on a military base in Kansas, Nelson’s strained relationship with her son, Marshall Mathers III, became a recurring theme in the Detroit rapper’s music as his fame grew.

EMINEM SPOKE OF HIS MOTHER IN SONGS

Eminem frequently criticized his mother in his songs, most notably in the 2002 single “Cleaning Out My Closet,” where he rapped: “Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen. … My whole life I was made to believe I was sick when I wasn’t.”

However, his feelings appeared to soften somewhat in “Lose Yourself,” his Oscar-winning track from the movie 8 Mile, where he famously referenced “mom’s spaghetti.” The song won Best Rap Song at the 2004 Grammy Awards.

Nelson filed and later settled two defamation lawsuits against Eminem over comments he made about her in magazines and on radio shows. In 2008, she published a memoir, My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, aiming to provide her perspective and share details about the rapper’s early years. “Marshall and I were so close that friends and relatives commented that it was as if the umbilical cord had never been cut,” she wrote.

MY SON MARSHALL, MY SON EMINEM

The book also delved into her own troubled childhood, recounting a violent home environment. Nelson credited her grandmother, with whom she spent summers, as the one source of love in her dysfunctional family.

In 2004, Nelson endured a traumatic incident on Eight Mile Road, the street famously associated with Eminem’s semi-autobiographical film. She was dragged from her car by a 16-year-old assailant, who was later sentenced to over four years in prison. The attack left her with bruises and a broken foot.

Despite the public disputes, Nelson’s life was marked by her efforts to tell her side of the story and her resilience in the face of challenges.