'Obituary' Says Slim Shady Met a 'Horrific End'

'Covert' promos for new Eminem album appear in Detroit newspapers
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 14, 2024 7:13 PM CDT
Slim Shady 'Obituaries' Appear in Detroit Papers
Eminem during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

While Eminem is believed to be alive and well, things aren't looking so good for his alter ego. The Detroit News reports that an "obituary" for Slim Shady appeared in the sports section of its print edition Monday, titled "Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions." It described Slim Shady as a "rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene" in Detroit in the 1990s. "Shady first became a household name in 1999 with the debut of his playfully deranged single 'My Name Is,' which—along with its uniquely eye catching video—exposed the young artist and his lyrics to a wider audience," it stated. Shady, it said, "led millions of music fans down a road that glorified a demonstrably nihilistic worldview."

"Ultimately, the very things that seemed to be the tools he used became calling cards that defined an existence that could only come to a sudden and horrific end," the obituary, which was marked as an advertisement, stated. The News describes the piece as a "covert piece of advertising for Eminem's upcoming album, "The Death of Slim Shady." The obituary, which also ran in the Detroit Free Press, has a photo of Eminem in hockey mask and overalls, a get-up he wore as Shady during a tour in 2000. It concludes with the line: "May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth."

The album, Eminem's 12th and his first since 2020, is slated for a summer release. Rolling Stone notes that it was first teased last month with a fake trailer for a mystery show called Detroit Murder Files, with a reporter saying Slim Shady has "no shortage of enemies." In a cameo, rapper 50 Cent said, "He's not a friend, he's a psychopath." (More Eminem stories.)

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