Eminem's estranged father dies at 67

Father of American rapper Eminem, Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., also known as Bruce, died on Wednesday at the age of 67, reported People.

Purportedly, Mathers died near Fort Wayne, Indiana, after he suffered a heart attack at his home. However, the actual cause of death remains unclear.

The 46-year-old rapper had a strained relationship with his father and said he never met him, who took to media in early 2000 to reach out to him.

Eminem regularly talks about the relationship with his father in his songs.

Debbie Nelson, Eminem's mother, mentions in her 2008 memoir 'My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem' that her marriage with Bruce turned sour as he allegedly turned physically abusive and she split with him after Eminem's birth.

"He never knew his father, and I did all I could to make up for it. I wanted Marshall to have a relationship with his father... but Bruce didn't want to know," Nelson wrote.

In 2014, Eminem told Rolling Stone that he was raised by his paternal family members, but he was often skipped over when his father would call their home.

"A lot of times he'd call, and I'd be there -- maybe I'd be on the floor coloring or watching TV -- and it wouldn't have been nothing for him to say, 'Put him on the phone,'" he recalled.

"He coulda talked to me, let me know something. 'Cause as far as father figures, I didn't have any in my life," he said.

After Eminem shot to fame, Bruce attempted to reach out to him telling The Mirror newspaper in 2001 that he'd tried searching him for years but due to his constant movement, it became difficult.

"I desperately want to meet my son and tell him 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 in his life," Bruce told the paper.

However, Eminem was not impressed and said in the same article that he regularly wrote letters to him but they were returned unopened.

"My father? I never knew him. I've never even seen a picture of him," he said. "I heard my dad is trying to get in contact with me, but not now. I never got one letter. I never got anything from him and I think he could have at least tried to write. He could have done something - made an effort," he added.