Eminem lost another close family member: his maternal grandmother Betty Kresin died Tuesday March 10 at her home in Missouri at the age of 87. But the relationship seems to be in question.
Sources close to the family confirmed TMZ that she died of breast cancer.
The rapper, real name Marshall Mathers, was not present when he died.
This loss comes just over a year after the death of his mother, Debbie Nelson, who died in December 2024 following a battle with advanced lung cancer.
Betty was Debbie’s mother.
Eminem’s relationship with his grandmother was complicated.
In an interview given in August 2000 to The Mirror of LondonKresin spoke candidly about the painful distance that had developed between them as his grandson’s fame and notoriety grew.
“Neither his mother Debbie nor I can understand what happened to this sweet, caring young man. In just over 12 years, he went from ‘Grandma, I love you’ to ‘Go to hell’. It breaks my heart,” she said.
“I can’t believe it’s my Marshall, the same boy who used to come and sit on my lap.”
She also described his music from the time as “vile and disgusting”.
Despite the public airing of these grievances, fans who knew the family’s history were quick to notice Kresin’s role in Eminem’s early life.
One Instagram commenter wrote: “It was grandma’s house he always went to as a kid when things got tough at home. She loved him so much and always took care of him.”
Tributes from fans have poured in on social media since the news of his death.
Eminem, 53, has not publicly commented on the loss.
He recently became a grandfather himself after his daughter Hailie Jade welcomed a son, Elliot Marshall McClintock, with husband Evan McClintock, a name chosen in honor of Marshall Mathers himself.
