Inside The Tragic Murder Of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Father

Sean Combs, better known as Diddy, didn't have the easiest time growing up. But his upbringing instilled in him the work ethic that helped make him one of the most influential names in hip-hop. Born in Harlem, Diddy moved to Mount Vernon, New York, at age 12, in an attempt by his single mother, Janice Combs, to give him a different experience, he told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2006. But the rapper continued to visit Harlem often, as his grandmother still lived there.

And both places played a part in shaping him. "I remember the simple things about Mount Vernon: grass, trees, and being able to play baseball," he said. "In Harlem there was no Little League, no front yard with grass. But the neighborhood was multicultural, so that broadened my horizons." The two women also set exemples he started applying early in life. "My mother worked three jobs and my grandmother worked two. At an early age, I started my own paper route," he detailed.

Diddy grew up without a father, having lost his at age 3, he said in a 2013 video, when he launched Revolt. Though he knew little about how Melvin Combs died throughout his childhood, Diddy was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together rather easily. "I noticed that guys from the streets in Harlem always seemed to know my family's last name," he told Oprah Winfrey. While Melvin's death was tragic, it unfortunately illustrated the reality in which Diddy grew up.  

Melvin Combs' name was well-known around Harlem during the 1970s, a decade marked by the opioid epidemic that devastated New York's low-income communities. Like many men living in that reality, Sean "Diddy" Combs' father was involved in the local drug trade, running in the same circles as convicted drug trafficker Frank Lucas, who inspired the Ridley Scott film "American Gangster."

In 2007, the late dealer told New York magazine he was happy to see Diddy succeed. "Melvin used to be at my house a couple of times a week. I'm proud to see Melvin's son like that," he said. In 1972, Melvin was fatally shot in his car during a drug transaction after being misidentified as an informant, according to Find a Grave. Diddy learned all this on his own, as his mother avoided the subject. "She tried to protect me ... My mother didn't want me to follow in his footsteps," he told O, The Oprah Magazine.

Janice Combs had her own version ready for whenever he asked. "My mother always told me that he died in a car accident," he said in a 2014 commencement speech at Howard University (via XXL). "But something about that it just didn't feel right." Diddy started to combine information he gathered on the streets with what he could find at the local library. "Even as a kid, I put two and two together ... All my uncles were street hustlers as well," he told Oprah Winfrey. 

Sean "Diddy" Combs has conflicting feelings about his father, but he holds no judgement. "My father was a hustler who sold drugs. During his time, that was the way out of Harlem — either that or playing basketball," he told O, The Oprah Magazine. Even though he was just 3 years old when Melvin Combs died, Diddy misses him. "They say you can't miss something you never had, but that's only a little ways right," he said in the Revolt video. "There's definitely been times as I've gotten older that I've missed my father — his presence, not being here."

As he grew older, Diddy began to understand that Melvin's fate was part of the systemic reality from which he himself was lucky to escape. "I learned early in life that there was only two ways of that — dead and in jail," he said. Even though Diddy missed having his father in the big-picture, he didn't in his day-to-day. "My mother played the role of a father, and my grandmother played the role of my mother," he told Oprah Winfrey.

Janice Combs was the parent who taught Diddy the tough lessons, while his grandmother coddled him when he needed it. "She knew the reality — if people smell weakness, they take advantage of you. You have to defend yourself." he explained. "On the other hand, my grandmother was like, 'Come here, baby. I'll walk with you to the store,'" he explained, recalling a time he had his money stolen.