He's also been mentioned among the greatest musicians of all time, coming in at number 82 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
But amongst this success he definitely has had his issues, from being accused of being a homophobe to being sued by his own mother to drug addiction and overdoses.
Unlike the other controversies, his drug addiction nearly killed him. It all started on the set of 8-Mile, the semiautobiographical film about his life. He had trouble sleeping and someone gave him his first Ambien.
What followed was a spiral downward where he would take anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium and up to 30 Vicodin a day. He gained weight and even overheard a debate between friends who argued whether it was really Eminem. One argued that "Eminem ain't fat"
His drug use came to a head in December 2007 when he overdosed on Methadone. After collapsing on the bathroom floor one night, he was taken to the hospital where doctors informed him that he had taken the equivalent of four bags of heroin, and was "about two hours from dying."
After missing Christmas with his children, Eminem checked himself out of the facilities and, not yet fully detoxed, was completely drained of strength. When he tore his meniscus "after falling asleep for literally 10 minutes," he underwent surgery. Following this, he went home and had a seizure. He relapsed within three weeks, and after a month his addiction was in full swing again.
He began to attend church meetings to get clean, but after being asked for autographs, he instead called a rehab counselor who helped him for the first time.
Eminem began exercising and running excessively, and effectively went sober on April 20, 2008. Friend Elton John was a mentor during this time; John would call Eminem once a week to check on him.
