Kim Porter wasn't just another name in Diddy's dating history — she was the woman who knew him best.
Across 13 years of an on-and-off relationship that began in the '90s, Kim remained a constant in Diddy's life, and together they raised four children. Even after they parted ways, their bond remained strong — at least publicly.
When Kim was tragically found dead in 2018, the heartbreak was real, but so were the lingering questions. Speaking out following her sudden death, Diddy described his ex as "more than a soulmate."
"For the last three days, I've been trying to wake out of this nightmare. But I haven't," he shared on Instagram at the time.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you, baby. I miss you so much… We were more than best friends, we were more than soul mates. WE WERE SOME OTHER SH*T!! And I miss you so much. Super Black Love."
When the rapper was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the 2022 Bet Awards, he performed "I'll Be Missing You" dedicating the performance to his former love.
Fast forward to 2024, with Diddy now facing up to 120 serious legal suits — charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution — their complicated romance has once again captured attention.
We revisited the complex bond Kim Porter and Sean 'Diddy' Combs shared — the heartache, and the questions still surrounding her untimely passing.
Watch: Diddy is "sorry". Article continues after video.
How did Kim Porter and Sean 'Diddy' Combs meet?
When Combs first met Porter in 1994, it wasn't love at first sight — at least, not for her. Porter was in the studio with her then-boyfriend, singer Al B. Sure!, but Diddy was immediately captivated by her.
"She kind of made me nervous," Combs said interview with Essence.
"She wasn't like a New York girl. She was Bohemian, mixed with Georgia-peach hospitality. I got the idea she'd like doing stuff like walking barefoot in the grass. I didn't think I could get her to like me."
He added, "She was smooth, you know, like ice. She's cool and collected and thinks before she speaks. You meet a lot of young ladies, and they just don't do that. Kim was never pressed; she was always in control."
Despite his initial nerves, the pair began a relationship, and though they never married, it would stretch over a decade.
In an interview for Essence's December 2006 issue, Combs shared that he had no plans to marry Porter.
"I know she deserves to get married, but I'm just not ready," he said. "It's not a reflection on how much I love Kim. It's that I'm just learning how to be a good boyfriend. When I'm finished with this step, I'll move on to the next."
Did Kim Porter and Sean 'Diddy' Combs have any children?
When Porter and Diddy met, she already had her own child, Quincy Brown. Quincy was born in 1991 to Porter during her previous relationship with music producer Al B. Sure!. Diddy also already had his first child, Justin, whom he welcomed with Misa Hylton in December 1993.
Over time, Porter and Diddy had become inseparable, and just a few years after they first met, the couple were expecting their first child together. On April 1, 1998, they welcomed a little boy called Christian 'King' Combs.
But just a year on from welcoming Christian, Porter and Diddy broke up as he went on to date Jennifer Lopez for two years.
During this time, Porter and Diddy battled in court over child support for Christian. But just two years after splitting from J.Lo, Diddy and Porter reconciled and got back together in 2003.
"That relationship wasn't real..." Porter said of Diddy and J.Lo's short-lived relationship. "The world just saw the bright lights and the camera. But I knew what was really going on. He was still in love with me. He was calling fifty, sixty times a day."
In 2006, the couple welcomed two more children – their twin daughters D'Lila Star and Jessie James.
But five months before the couple's twin daughters were born, Diddy had fathered a daughter, Chance, with another woman.
After the twin girls were born, Diddy admitted the situation to Porter.
"He told me that he may have gotten himself into a situation and he may have fathered another child outside the relationship and I said, 'Really? Well, I already knew. I'm glad you decided to be a man,'" Porter told Essence.
In 2007, Diddy and Porter split. Despite their differences, the pair remained close friends up until Porter's death.
"In ending this relationship, I made a decision that was in the best interest of myself, Sean and our family," Kim said in a statement at the time.
"I look forward to moving on with my life and my career and wish him prosperity, health and happiness in life and in love. We will remain friends and committed parents to our children."
And it seemed that the couple did indeed remain friends, with Combs later praising Porter's parenting in an interview for JET magazine.
"Kim is an incredible mother to our children. We've been part of each other's lives for many years and I have always admired her courage and strength. We're the best of friends," he said.
How did Kim Porter die?
On November 15, 2018, at the age of 47, Kim Porter was found dead in her Toluca Lake home.
According to the autopsy report, she had been battling flu-like symptoms for several days, which later developed into lobar pneumonia—a severe infection affecting her lungs.
The report detailed her symptoms, including "nasal congestion, sweats, mild cough, body aches, and a sore throat," with a fever. She was treated with intravenous fluids and vitamins but unfortunately deteriorated.
The autopsy further revealed "fibrinopurulent effusions (infectious fluids in the chest cavities)," confirming lobar pneumonia as the cause of death.
In the final days leading up to her death, Porter had reached out to her doctors, reporting worsening symptoms such as "a streak of blood in her phlegm" the day before she died.
Kim Porter's death is back in the spotlight amid the allegations against Diddy.
Porter's death has resurfaced in the media, as conspiracy theories run wild in the wake of Diddy's recent legal troubles. Theorists on TikTok are speculating all manner of things, including questioning the validity of the official autopsy, which ruled that she died from lobar pneumonia.
Fuelling these rumours was the publication of an alleged memoir titled Kim's Lost Words: A Journey for Justice From the Other Side. The novel, which was published by independent author Todd Christopher Guzze on Amazon, purported to be the retelling of an amalgamation of "flash drive, documents and tapes" from Porter.
Guzze claims he was given these sources by someone "very close to Kim and Sean Combs", according to Associated Press. However, when asked directly by Rolling Stone, he said, "If somebody put my feet to the fire and they said, 'Life or death, is that book real?' I have to say I don't know. But it's real enough to me."
The book was published shortly after Diddy's arrest, claiming to expose secrets about her relationship with the star, but has since been removed by Amazon.
Porter's children later issued a strong statement, calling the memoir "fake" and dismissing the conspiracy theories as "hurtful and false."
"We have seen so many hurtful and false rumours circulating about our parents, Kim Porter and Sean Combs' relationship. As well as about our mum's tragic passing," they posted on Instagram.
"Claims that our mum wrote a book are simply untrue. She did not. And anyone claiming to have a manuscript is misrepresenting themselves. Additionally, please understand that any so-called 'friend' speaking on behalf of our mum or her family is not a friend. Nor do they have her best interests at heart."
However, Kim's ex-husband, singer Al B. Sure!, recently spoke out on his Instagram. While he said the memoir was fake, he also alleged that devices containing critical evidence from Porter's life went missing.
"For over a decade and a half, I've been posting about, and tagging random law enforcement agencies in hopes to protect loved ones, avoid deaths & tragedies that could have all been avoided," wrote Sure, who is the father of Kim's son Quincy.
"Ms. Porter's missing devices, allegedly already in evidence, unquestionably contain the critical evidence that have been concealed," he claimed. "I'm convinced that evidence corroborates closely with details outlined in the recently released public indictment document."
He added, "Kimberly was allegedly taken from us because she was set on course to accomplish what Mrs. Cassie Ventura did by igniting the Bon Fire [sic] which brings us here today," appearing to reference Porter's death alongside a settlement between Combs and ex-girlfriend singer Cassie Ventura.
The theories persist, but as of now, the official cause of Porter's death remains lobar pneumonia, with no connection whatsoever to Diddy's ongoing legal issues.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and intends to defend them in court.
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Image: Getty.