P Diddy's parents are Melvin Earl Combs and Janice Combs. Despite having a son who is one of the most influential names in hip-hop, not much about his parents is known. While he unfortunately lost his father at a young age, his mother struggled to give him a better life and also support his career choices.
P Diddy's parents were married for only a few years before Melvin tragically passed away leaving her with the burden of raising two children alone. While she juggled several jobs to make ends meet initially, everything seems to have paid out somehow. Here's all to know.
Melvin Earl Combs
P Diddy's Father Melvin Died at 33
P Diddy's father Melvin Earl was born sometime in 1952 but unfortunately died at the age of 33 after being shot on January 26, 1972. At the time he died, his son Sean "Diddy" Combs was only 3 years old. Information regarding his early life and family background has not been established. However, we gathered that he was mostly on the streets and hustled within Harlem as a local drug dealer, and an associate to NYC drug lord Frank Lucas which made him feared in his neighborhood
Unfortunately, it was the streets that robbed him of his life at 33. This wasn't only a big loss for his wife but also for his son who never got to know who his father was.
Melvin was shot while sitting in his car around the Central Park West. From the story, he was out for a drug transaction but was misidentified as an informant instead.
Reports say he had ties to the convicted New York drug dealer, Frank Lucas and his name continued to ring the bell on the streets of Harlem.
Melvin Earl Met His Wife While Serving in the US Air Force
Several years before Melvin would turn to the streets for a livelihood, he had first served in the US Air Force. In fact, it was while serving that he met and later got married to his wife Janice. There is no information on the exact time and date the pair got hitched nonetheless, their union saw the birth of their two children, Sean and Keisha Combs.
Their first child Sean best known as P Diddy was born on November 4, 1969. He pursued a career in the music industry as a rapper, record producer, and record executive.
The youngest daughter of the couple Keisha was born in 1970. Unlike her brother, she prefers to live a private life. As such, not so much is known about her.
Janice Combs
P. Diddy's Mother Raised Her Children Alone
Even though Melvin and Janice planned to raise their children together, death came in the way just when Sean and Kiesha were 3 and 2 years old respectively. Following the demise of her husband, she was left with the sole responsibility of raising her kids alone.
The Newyoker, born December 22, 1940, played the role of a father in her children's lives as all their needs were provided. In her absence, her mother would fill in for them. According to P Diddy, his mother believed that people took advantage of his weakness and taught him how to stay tough.
Janice and her children later moved to Mount Vernon, New York from Harlem to protect her children from the streets. She also got them enrolled in a good school while she juggled several jobs.
Janice Combs Did Not Tell P. Diddy About His Father
To hide what kind of man her husband, Melvin was, Janice had to keep the truth about him from their children. She revealed that she needed to keep them out of trouble and save them from bad memories or follow in his footsteps. This was why she moved to New York to help them stay out of the streets.
According to the rapper, his mother had painted the story of his father dying in a car accident to him. Despite this, he still heard about his father on the street and his drug involvement in Harlem. He would even hear more as time went by and later resolved to fix the puzzle himself.
Regardless, P Diddy admits that he misses his father and wishes he was there.
“There’s definitely been times as I’ve gotten older that I’ve missed my father — his presence, not being here.”.
P. Diddy's Mother Janice is an Entrepreneur
Since hitting the spotlight as Puff Diddy's mother, Janice has excelled in several business ventures as an entrepreneur. Her son has named several businesses after her including Janice Combs Music Publishing and Janice Combs Management. She is also in charge of his restaurant and other projects.
However, it had not always been so before her son's influence. First, she juggled working in the educational sector as a teacher assistant to make ends meet and later joined the fashion industry as a model.
From what we gathered, she made appearances for several brands before a brief appearance in entertainment. Janice has credits for her appearance in shows like America’s Next Top Model, and I Want to Work for Diddy. She made her work behind the scenes for the 2022 thriller film “Ear 2 Ear”.
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