Eminem praises his slain friend

DETROIT (AP) -- Eminem has praised rapper Proof, who was shot dead earlier this week, for his "guidance and encouragement," calling him "my best friend," in a posting on his Web site.
Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton, was killed early Tuesday in a shooting at the CCC, a nightclub in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile, the road made famous in the 2002 film starring Eminem.
The 32-year-old rapper, a member of D12, was the best man in Eminem's January wedding. Seldom was Eminem seen in public without Proof.
"He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady," the statement by the 33-year-old rap superstar said.
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