Eminem's revered alter ego is officially dead, according to his hometown newspaper.
Earlier this week, an stunning obituary appeared in the print edition of the Detroit Free Press. The headline said "Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions" below a photo of Em wearing overalls and a white hockey mask. In the obituary, Slim Shady's early life and successful debut single "My Name Is" was celebrated as if it was written by a loved one. However, the enlightening dedication quickly turns grim as it alluded to some of the darker elements of his rise to fame. The piece doesn't list Slim Shady's exact cause of death but it say his life came to "a sudden and horrific end."
“Fans ‘will never forget’ controversial rapper," the obituary begins. "A product of Detroit who began his career there as a rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene of the mid to late 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.”
“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," it continues. "His complex and tortured existence has come to a close, and the legacy he leaves behind is no closer to resolution than the manner in which this character departed this world. May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”
The obituary was published ahead of Eminem's upcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coupe De Grâce). He confirmed the death of his alter ego in a brief album teaser, which was released as a commercial for a murder documentary. The clip teases a reenactment of Slim Shady's death, and also features a cameo from 50 Cent. Fans can expect Eminem's 12th studio album to arrive this summer.