FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WTHR) - The estranged father of rapper Eminem died this week at his home in Fort Wayne.
TMZ reported Wednesday Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. passed away at home in the Fort Wayne area at the age of 67. Eminem hasn't hidden the disdain he feels for his father, including explicit lyrics in several of his songs and has accused the elder Mathers of abandoning his family.
Mathers Jr. has denied the claim in the past, the station reported.
Fort Wayne's NBC spoke with residents of Mathers' neighborhood, who didn't realize they were living next door to a famous father.
“I thought how in the world have I been living here for 32 years and not know that he was even existing in this area,” said George Goodson.
“That’s crazy, to have a famous person live next to you that you didn’t know,” said Julissa Campos who also lives in the neighborhood.
Heather Burton said she was close friends with Mathers Jr., who she called a nice, humble person. She said he didn't speak much about his relationship with his son.
“He would talk about him, but not a lot. He had a lot of regret and a lot of sadness, but I don’t know the other side of the story,” said Burton.
She said Mathers had hoped to see his son before he died after a long illness.
