Earlier this week, Eminem's maternal grandmother Betty passed away at her Missouri home, per TMZ. Reportedly, she died of complications related to breast cancer, and the rapper was not with her at the time. Em and Betty had a complex relationship.
In a 2000 interview with London's Mirror newspaper, she admitted that she wasn't a fan of his more explicit lyrics. “When I hear his vile disgusting lyrics I can’t believe this is my Marshall," she explained. "The same boy who used to come and sit on my lap.”
“He’s no worse than the rest of them. I don’t like some of the lyrics myself, but this is what the people want to hear,” she continued. “If they’re going to criticise my grandson, criticise the rest of them. What about Limp Bizkit? And Ozzy Osbourne, who used to eat live bats on stage.
How Many Grandchildren Does Eminem Have?
"They seem to be singling my grandson out. They’re picking on him," Betty concluded. “He’s my first grandchild, I was there then he opened his eyes, I love that boy. I want to stop this war between us because life’s too short – I want him to hang in there, because everything’s going to be okay.”
At the time of writing, Eminem has not publicly commented on his grandmother's passing. News of Betty's death comes almost a year after the Grammy-winner became a grandparent himself. His daughter, Hailie Jade, gave birth to a baby boy named Elliot Marshall McClintock last April. For now, Elliot is his only grandchild.
Em announced Hailie's pregnancy in the music video for his song "Temporary," which he unveiled in October of 2024. The song features emotional lyrics dedicated to her and serves as a message for her to hear when he passes away.
