Who was Eric Hartter? Eminem's child Stevie claims they were never told about biological dad
In addition to coming out as non-binary, Eminem's child Stevie Laine also took aim at their family over their adoption, claiming that the rapper never revealed who their biological father was till he was dead.
The 19-year-old, who previously went by the name Whitney, recently came out as gender fluid and announced their new name along with their new pronouns "they/she/he" in a series of TikTok and Instagram posts. They also hinted at the fact that they had not been told enough about their biological father. In a TikTok video, they wrote, "He's not your real dad. You're adopted. No he is my real dad. You're my real dad right? Am I adopted? I am your real dad. *gets sent an article of my biological dads death and shows my grandma," adding, "I'm sorry they wouldn't tell you about him."
READ MORE
Stevie seemed upset in the video, wearing thick-rimmed glasses with a gray hooded sweatshirt pulled up over their head as they sat in bed. They also mouthed the lyrics to 'Adventure Time's Remember You' in the clip, with the words: "Marceline, is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world? That must be so confusing for a little girl." Stevie's biological father is Stevie's mother Kim's ex-boyfriend, Eric Hartter, with who she got together during a break from Eminem. Following Eminem's reconciliation with Kim in 2005, he adopted Stevie.
Who was Eric Hartter?
Kim and Eminem got married in 1999 and divorced two years later. The couple remarried in January 2006 but separated again by April of that year. Stevie's biological father was a professional tattoo artist, who passed away last year aged 40.
Hartter reportedly battled drug addiction and was reportedly found dead in an abandoned house in Detroit. "He was found by a family member who came by to check the location, and found the victim unresponsive with no signs of trauma," a Detroit Police Department spokesperson told Radar. "A medic pronounced him DOA on scene." He had been released form prison shortly ebfore he died.
He had other children with a woman named Sara Hubbard, who paid tribute to him on Facebook after his death in March last year. She wrote: "My heart is broken into a million pieces. My family has been hit so hard. We have lost so many people that meant everything to us. I lost Eric Hartter a couple days ago. I never wanted this day to come, Eric is a huge part of me and our children. Anyone that knows Eric knows that he's always battled w demons. Anyone that knows Eric knows how phenomenal he was too in so many ways. I love Eric w every ounce of me he was my best friend no matter what! Eric has made some sh***y choices in life but who hasn't! I have yet to meet a perfect person."
Hartter had a criminal history, with crimes including felony contraband involving Fentanyl and methamphetamine. On July 3 last year, he had pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, the fourth time he’s been charged with such. Though he spent 93 days in jail up to that point, he was sentenced to an additional two months behind bars and two years probation. According to Radar Online, he and two accomplices stole $200 worth of Red Bull from a CVS and were subsequently charged. While he was in prison, he was arrested for a second time for possessing Fentanyl and methamphetamine.
In reality, he has never really been part of Stevie's life. Even when they were born, Hartter wasn’t present to witness their birth and was allegedly on a wanted list by the police, suspected of selling drugs.