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Who was Betty Kresin? Eminem’s maternal grandmother dies at 87; details on her cancer battle
Eminem’s grandmother Betty has died at 87 after battling breast cancer, just over a year after his mother’s death.
Eminem is mourning the loss of his maternal grandmother, Betty Kresin who has reportedly died at the age of 87 after a battle with breast cancer.
According to the reports of TMZ, she passed away due to complications from the disease at her home in Missouri on Tuesday. The rapper was reportedly not present for her passing.
Who Was Betty Kresin?
Betty was Eminem’s maternal grandmother and played an important part in his early life. In a 2000 interview, she spoke about her heartbreak over the path Eminem had taken in his music career, even calling some of his lyrics “vile” and “disgusting.”
“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 told The Mirror.
“When I hear his vile disgusting lyrics I can’t believe this is my Marshall, the same boy who used to come and sit on my lap.”
The loss of Betty comes just over a year after the death of her daughter and Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson who passed in December 2024 following a battle with advanced lung cancer.
Eminem's strained family relationships
Eminem whose real name is Marshall Mathers has had a complicated and publicly strained relationship with his mother for many years, though they tried to repair it over time.
Early in his career, he mentioned Debbie in his music, which led to legal trouble. On his 1999 track ‘My Name Is’ from ‘The Slim Shady LP’ he claimed his mother did “more dope than” he did.
Debbie sued him for $11 million, claiming defamation. Eminem’s lawyer said the lawsuit was “a result of a lifelong strained relationship” between them. The case ended with Debbie receiving $25,000, most of which went to her lawyer and a judge ruled she was only entitled to $1,600 of the settlement.
In 2008, Debbie told Village Voice that, “I'm not ever gonna give up on my kids. I won't give up on anybody. There's hope for everybody. It's a matter of just basically swallowing your pride. It's like a cashed check. It's over, it's done. You need to move on.”
Despite the complicated and strained family relationships over the years, both Eminem and his mother had made efforts to repair their bond.
