Eric Hartter was an American tattoo artist who gained public attention through his relationship with Kimberly Anne Scott, the ex-wife of rapper Eminem.
His connection to one of the most famous names in hip-hop brought Hartter into the spotlight, though his own career as a tattooist was his primary identity throughout his life.
Who was Eric Hartter?
Eric Scott Hartter was an American tattoo artist from Roseville, Michigan, best known as the biological father of Stevie Laine Scott, formerly known as Whitney Scott Mathers.
Rapper Eminem later adopted Stevie, which drew significant media interest in Hartter’s background and personal life.
His name rarely surfaced in entertainment coverage until his relationship with Kim Scott made headlines in the early 2000s.
By then, Eminem’s fame was at its peak, and any connection to his family drew intense public scrutiny.
Hartter spent most of his adult life working as a tattoo artist in the Detroit area.
Despite the attention his personal life attracted, he largely remained out of the public eye beyond his connection to the Mathers family.
Early Life of Eric Hartter
Eric Hartter grew up in Roseville, Michigan, a suburb northeast of Detroit.
His mother, Marie Mastrogiovanni, raised him in the area, and he remained in the greater Detroit region throughout his life.
Growing up in Michigan’s metro Detroit area during the 1980s and 1990s, Hartter developed an interest in visual art.
That interest eventually led him toward the tattoo industry, where he built his professional career.
Little additional detail about his childhood, siblings, or early education entered the public record during his lifetime.
Eric Hartter Age / Birthday
Eric Hartter was born in 1980 in Roseville, Michigan. His exact birth date was not publicly confirmed.
He died in March 2020 at the age of 40. His zodiac sign, based on a 1980 birth year, cannot be confirmed without the specific birth date.
Eric Hartter Ethnicity and Nationality
Hartter was American by nationality, born and raised in Michigan. His ethnic background was White.
He was a Michigan native whose entire life, from childhood through his tattoo career, remained rooted in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Eric Hartter Height and Weight
Eric Hartter stood at 5 feet 8 inches, or approximately 1.73 meters. He weighed around 76 kg, equivalent to 167 lbs.
He had brown hair and blue eyes. His build and appearance reflected that of someone who lived and worked primarily in the tattoo shop environment.
Eric Hartter Career
Eric Hartter worked as a professional tattoo artist based in the Detroit, Michigan area.
Tattooing is a highly skilled trade that combines artistic vision with precise technical execution, and Hartter built his reputation within the local tattoo community.
His career kept him relatively private compared to the public figures he became connected to through personal relationships.
The tattoo industry in Detroit and its surrounding communities provided his primary livelihood throughout his adult life.
Career as a Tattoo Artist
Hartter worked within the tattoo profession during a period when the industry grew considerably in mainstream visibility across the United States.
The early 2000s saw tattooing move from a niche subculture into broader popular culture, expanding demand for skilled artists.
He operated in the Detroit metro area, a region with an established tattoo community. His work as a tattooist brought him into contact with a wide range of clients across the area.
By the time his name began appearing in celebrity media coverage, Hartter had already been working as a tattoo artist for some years.
His professional life remained centered on the craft even as his personal relationships drew outside attention.
Public Profile and Media Attention
Hartter’s link to Kim Scott and, indirectly, to Eminem, brought him unwanted media attention from the early 2000s onward. His daughter Stevie’s adoption by Eminem in 2005 kept his name circulating in tabloid coverage.
He did not seek out media appearances or public statements during his lifetime. Coverage of his life came almost entirely through entertainment journalists writing about the Mathers family, not through any deliberate public profile he cultivated.
His story became more widely covered following his death in March 2020, when multiple outlets reported on the circumstances surrounding his passing.
Legal Issues
Hartter’s later years involved serious legal difficulties. In December 2018, his arrest stemmed from an alleged theft of approximately $200 worth of merchandise from a CVS store, while he was already in custody.
On July 3, he pleaded guilty to being a prisoner possessing contraband as a fourth-time habitual offender. He also pleaded guilty on March 13 to a felony charge involving Fentanyl and methamphetamine.
A court sentenced him to 153 days in jail and 24 months of probation. With credit served, he was released shortly before his death.
Eric Hartter Wife Kim Scott
Eric Hartter began dating Kimberly Anne Scott, known publicly as Kim Mathers, at the end of 2001. At that point, Kim had recently finalized her first divorce from Eminem, which the court completed in October of that year.
Their relationship lasted approximately one year. During that time, Kim became pregnant, and the couple’s daughter was born on April 16, 2002.
Hartter and Kim Scott never married. Their short-lived relationship produced Stevie, and the two separated without pursuing any formal legal union.
Eminem later reconciled with Kim and legally adopted Stevie in 2005, assuming full parental responsibility.
Eric Hartter Children
Eric Hartter’s most publicly known child is Stevie Laine Scott, born April 16, 2002, to Kim Scott. At birth, Stevie carried the name Whitney Scott Mathers.
Eminem legally adopted Stevie in 2005 and raised her alongside his biological daughter Hailie Jade and his other adopted daughter Alaina Marie. Stevie later came out as non-binary and changed their name to Stevie Laine Scott.
Hartter’s parental role in Stevie’s life was limited. His struggles with addiction and legal problems kept him from building a consistent presence in his daughter’s upbringing.
Eric Hartter Death
Eric Hartter died in March 2020 at the age of 40. A family member who came to check on him discovered him unresponsive with no signs of trauma at an abandoned house in Detroit.
A Detroit Police Department spokesperson confirmed: “A call was made by a family member who came by to check the location and found the victim unresponsive with no signs of trauma. A medic pronounced him DOA on scene.”
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his death. Per the autopsy report, he died of a drug overdose involving cocaine and fentanyl. His passing was classified as an accident.
Hartter had struggled with drug addiction for years, and people close to the family reported he had recently been battling heroin abuse in addition to his other substance issues.
His death came shortly after his release from jail. He had served time on the felony charges described above and recently received release with credit for time served before his passing.
Eric Hartter Net Worth
Eric Hartter’s estimated net worth was $150,000 as of the time of his death in 2020. His income came from his work as a tattoo artist in the Detroit metro area.
Tattoo artists typically earn income on a per-session or per-piece basis, with experienced artists in well-trafficked shops commanding higher rates.
Hartter’s career in the Detroit area provided a modest but consistent income from his craft.
His legal troubles and personal struggles in his later years likely affected his earning capacity and financial stability during the final period of his life.
No significant business ventures, property holdings, or other income sources entered the public record connected to his name.
Conclusion
Eric Hartter lived a private life as a Detroit-area tattoo artist whose name entered the public record almost entirely through his brief relationship with Kim Scott and the birth of their daughter Stevie.
His story reflects the turbulent circumstances that surrounded the extended Mathers family during Eminem’s rise to fame, and his death in March 2020 from a drug overdose closed a chapter of that family’s complicated history.