Eminem has lost another close family member: his maternal grandmother, Betty Kresin, died on Tuesday, March 10, at her home in Missouri at the age of 87. But the relationship seems to be in doubt.
Sources close to the family confirmed TMZ who died from complications related to breast cancer.
The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was not present when she died.
The loss comes just over a year after the death of his mother, Debbie Nelson, who passed away in December 2024 after a battle with advanced lung cancer.
Betty was Debbie’s mother.
The relationship between Eminem and his grandmother was complicated.
In an August 2000 interview with The London MirrorKresin spoke candidly about the painful distance that had grown between them as his grandson’s fame and notoriety grew.
“Neither his mother Debbie nor I can understand what happened to this sweet, loving young man. In just over 12 years he has gone from saying ‘Grandma, I love you’ to ‘Go to hell’. It just breaks my heart,” she said.
“I can’t believe this is my Marshall, the same guy who used to come and sit on my lap.”
He also described his music at the time as “vile and disgusting.”
Despite the public airing of those complaints, fans who knew the family’s history were quick to note the role Kresin played in Eminem’s early life.
One Instagram commenter writes: “That 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 news of his death broke.
Eminem, 53, has not commented publicly on the loss.
He recently became a grandfather after his daughter Hailie Jade welcomed a son, Elliot Marshall McClintock, with her husband Evan McClintock, a name chosen in honor of Marshall Mathers himself.
