What Happened To Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Father? Inside The Tragic Story
Fans of Sean "Diddy" Combs have grown accustomed to seeing his mother, Janice, by his side throughout the years, but his father, Melvin Combs, tragically never got to see his son become the mogul he is today. He was gunned down in 1972 in New York when Diddy was only three years old. The circumstances surrounding Melvin's murder remain partially unclear. However, it has been widely reported that he was also involved in Harlem's street life. Late drug lord Frank Lucas previously said in a chat with Nicky Barnes for New York Magazine in 2007 that Melvin would often be at his home. Additionally, it appears that Combs' father ran into his own legal issues before his death. He'd previously been arrested in 1971 for heroin possession and was found to have $45,000 in cash. His death was linked to a massive drug ring bust, though no one was ever held accountable for his murder.
Combs, who has seven children, has admitted he does not remember much about his father. However, he does believe he got his sense of style from his dad. During a New Yorker profile in September 2002, the Bad Boy founder revealed, "People say we have a similar approach to fashion. They say he was the fliest man around." While this may be true, Janice shielded her son from the true nature of Melvin's untimely demise.
Diddy's mother didn't tell him what happened to his father
As a child, Janice Combs did not reveal the truth about how Melvin Combs died to Sean "Diddy" Combs. According to the creator of Revolt TV, this was done to keep him from seeking the same path as his father did. During a 2006 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Diddy, the man of many monikers, recalled that his mother claimed Melvin passed away in a car crash. However, the music producer said he began to uncover the truth early on. "I put two and two together. I noticed that guys from the streets in Harlem always seemed to know my family's last name. 'I used to run with your father,' they'd tell me. All my uncles were street hustlers as well," he shared (via Showbiz CheatSheet).
During his May 2014 Howard University commencement speech, Combs again addressed how he learned about his dad's slaying. He stated that while attending the school, he did research in the library, where he discovered a newspaper article detailing that he'd been killed in a soured narcotics deal. While it seems that Combs has answers regarding Melvin's demise, internet rumors have swirled regarding why someone would want Melvin taken out.
The motive for the murder has been debated online
Hip-hop culture researcher and founder of Valtown Entertainment, Brian Valmond, shared a March 2024 thread on X, formerly Twitter, about Melvin Combs allegedly being slaughtered over claims that he was cooperating with federal investigators in a drug probe. While there was no proof that Melvin was going to turn on his fellow illicit business associates, this tale has lived on for years. In a February 1973 article in The New York Times titled, "Ten Found Guilty Of Heroin Charges," Combs was named as a co‐conspirator in a massive narcotics case, though he'd already passed before the others were convicted. Prosecutors on the case believed his passing could be linked to other members involved, though it's unclear who and why this could be. Online forums have also debated whether or not Melvin's being a police informant played a role in his demise.
In former kingpin Frank Lucas' 2011 book, "Original Gangster," he addressed the "snitch" allegation. Lucas maintained that the tales of Melvin being unloyal to his crew were only a rumor. No matter the reason, Melvin being violently taken from his loved ones has had a lasting impact on Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is facing troubling allegations of his own.