He’s said his daughter Hailie was his biggest inspiration when he was broke and starting out as a rapper in run-down Detroit.
But while Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, clearly had his child at the foremost of his mind, the same can’t be said about his own father, who abandoned him shortly after he was born.
The 50-year-old musician was only directly contacted by his father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. in 2001, during the height of his career. However, Eminem refused to listen to his estranged parent.
Mathers Jr., who died aged 67 in June 2019, isn’t the only relative the rapper has rejected – with his younger paternal half-sister Sarah Mathers, having never met Eminem, despite trying to do so.
Sarah, who lives in California, is said to have tried to meet with her famous brother at one of his concerts, before being turned away. She only discovered his identity in 2005, according to Hello!.
He’s said his daughter Hailie was his biggest inspiration when he was broke and starting out as a rapper in run-down Detroit. But while Eminem (pictured in January 2020), whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, clearly had his child at the foremost of his mind, the same can’t be said about his own father, who abandoned him shortly after he was born
Sarah, now thought to be 41 years old, couldn’t believe it when she found out that she was related to Eminem as a young adult.
She was reportedly at a family barbecue when her father noticed Eminem on the TV and couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between the musician and his paternal half-brother Michael.
Sarah recalled, via Contactmusic.com: ‘I’d known all my life that I had another brother, but Eminem? They’d got to be kidding. I giggled at the thought of it, then went back to join the rest of my family.
‘But when my dad saw the resemblance between the two men (Eminem and half-brother Michael), he didn’t brush it off.
‘He phoned his great-aunt Edna, who’d helped look after Dad’s oldest son before he split from his ex-wife, and she told him it was Marshall Mathers. Eminem was my brother.’
But when Sarah and her father tried to reach out to Eminem, by attempting to meet him backstage at one of his concerts, the artist refused to meet them, according to the rapper’s mother, Debbie, reported AmoMama.
TMZ reported that Sarah’s father Mathers Jr. suffered a heart attack while at home near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He died aged 67 in June 2019.
Eminem has regularly rapped about being abandoned by his biological father and having never met him in person.
The 50-year-old musician was only directly contacted by his father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. (pictured together after the rapper was born) in 2001, during the height of his career. However, Eminem refused to listen to his estranged parent
Mathers Jr. (pictured in Los Angeles in 2000), who died aged 67 in June 2019, isn’t the only relative the rapper has rejected – with his younger paternal half-sister Sarah Mathers, having never met Eminem, despite trying to do so
His songs My Name Is and Cleanin’ Out My Closet feature lyrics about his grudge towards his father.
Eminem’s mother Debbie married Bruce when she was just 15 and he was 22 and they welcomed their son two years later – but split shortly after he was born.
While Debbie and Eminem lived between Missouri and Michigan, Bruce moved to California where he started a new family, fathering two children.
Bruce had spoken out in 2001 to say he had tried to reach out to his son but blamed Eminem’s mother for keeping him away.
That year Bruce told the Mirror: ‘I desperately want to meet my son and tell him that I love him. I’m not interested in his money. I just want to talk to him. I want him to know that I’m here for him if he lets me back into his life.’
Sarah (pictured in a magazine article, then aged 23), who lives in California, is said to have tried to meet with her famous brother at one of his concerts, before being turned away. She only discovered his identity in 2005, according to Hello!
Around the same time Eminem said of his estranged father: ‘Don’t know anything about my dad and I don’t care.’
Eminem – who is father to Hailie Scott Mathers, who he shares with ex-wife Kim – said in previous interviews that he would write his father letters as a child but they would come back ‘return to sender’.
In Cleanin’ Out My Closet he raps ‘My fa***t father must’ve had his panties up in a bunch ‘Cause he split, I wonder if he even kissed me goodbye/ No, I don’t, on second thought, I just f**kin’ wished he would die/ I look at Hailie, and I couldn’t picture leavin’ her side.’
Meanwhile, Eminem and his mother Debbie, 67, have endured a strained relationship that’s played out in the public eye since the rapper came to fame over 25 years ago.
During their rocky relationship, Eminem referred to his mother on the My Name Is track from the 1999 album The Slim Shady LP.
In the song My Name Is, the rapper claimed his mother did ‘more dope than’ he did.
Debbie responded to her son by suing him for $11 million, claiming defamation of character.
The rapper and record producer’s lawyer then released a statement on behalf of his client saying that the lawsuit was as a ‘result of a lifelong strained relationship’ between the pair.
The lawsuit culminated with Debbie receiving $25,000 – most of which went to her lawyer.
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