Was rapper close to her?

Eminem has lost another close family member, with his maternal grandmother Betty Kresin dying on Tuesday, 10th March at her home in Missouri at the age of 87. But the relationship seems to be in question.

Sources close to the family confirmed to TMZ that she died from complications related to breast cancer.

The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was not present when she passed. 

The 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.

The relationship between Eminem and his grandmother was a complicated one. 

In an August 2000 interview with London’s Mirror, Kresin spoke candidly about the painful distance that had grown between them as her grandson’s fame, and notoriety, grew. 

“Neither his mother Debbie nor I can figure out what happened to this sweet, caring youngster. In just over 12 years he’s gone from telling me ‘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 boy who used to come and sit on my lap.” 

She also described his music at the time as “vile and disgusting.” 

Despite the public airing of those grievances, fans who knew of the family’s history have been quick to note the role Kresin played in Eminem’s early life.

One Instagram commenter writes: “That was the grandma’s house he always went to as a kid when things got rough at home. She loved him so much and always took care of him.”

Tributes from fans have poured in across social media since news of her death broke. 

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 honour of Marshall Mathers himself.