PA ImagesEminem’s biological father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr has reportedly died aged 67.
Mathers, who Eminem accused of abandoning him in many of his songs, reportedly died of a heart attack near Fort Wayne in Indiana this week, according to TMZ.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, has never shied away from talking about the grudge he holds against his father, and even rapped about never having met the 67-year-old in person.
GettyIf you listen to the lyrics of ‘My Name Is’ and ‘Cleanin’ Out My Closet’, you get a pretty vivid image of how of the rapper felt about his dad.
In the latter, he raps ‘my fa***t father must’ve had his panties up in a bunch, cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye. No, I don’t, on second thought, I just f*cking wished he would die. I look at Hailie, and I couldn’t picture leaving her side.’
According to Eminem’s mum, Debbie, the 67-year-old, who went by the name Bruce, married her when he was 22 and she was just 15. Two years later, on October 17, 1972, the rapper was born in a gruelling 73-hour labour in which Debbie nearly died.
Shortly after he was born, Eminem’s parents split up and Bruce left for California, where he went on to father two more children, Michael and Sarah.
Meanwhile, Eminem and his mum moved to Detroit to live with her family, however it’s reported they shuttled between Michigan and Missouri, rarely staying in one house for more than a year or two.
In interviews, Slim Shady has spoken candidly about writing letters to his father, only to receive ‘return to sender’ notes. He said Bruce would sometimes call while family members were babysitting, but they never actually spoke on the phone.
Bruce responded to the claims in 2001, when he published a letter addressed to his son in a newspaper. He said Eminem’s mum kept him away, however it’s believed the rapper still decided against getting in touch with his dad to reconcile.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.