Sean "Diddy" Combs said his former girlfriend, Kim Porter, had one request for him before she died: Take care of her children.
Combs, who shares twin daughters Jessie and D'Lila, 12, and son Christian, 21, with Porter, told Essence magazine for their Mother's Day issue that one of the last conversations he had with the model and actress was about their family.
“Three days before she passed, she wasn’t feeling well. She had the flu, and she sent the kids over to my house so they wouldn’t get sick," the Grammy-winning rapper and producer said. "One night I was checking on her, and she was like, ‘Puffy, take care of my babies.’ She actually said that to me before she died.”
Porter, 47, died in her sleep Nov. 15 from lung infection, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner said in January. About a week before her death, Porter had complained of a sore throat which developed into a fever of 102 degrees, the coroner said.
She had tested negative for influenza and strep and was being treated with antibiotics, vitamins and a painkiller in the week of her death, according to authorities. On Nov. 14, Porter reported that her fever was back down to a normal 96 degrees. The coroner said the night before her death, Porter watched movies with her family.
Around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 15, Porter's goddaughter checked on her and found her in her bed but assumed she was asleep. It wasn't until 11:30 when Porter's housemates realized she wasn't moving and called 911.
"It was later determined Porter died from lobar pneumonia," the coroner said. "The manner of death was certified as natural."
Combs, 49, told Essence that the day Porter died, his world was turned "upside down."
In addition to the couple's three children, Porter and Combs' blended family — which he called "unconventional" in Essence — includes his daughter, Chance, and son, Justin, from previous relationships, and her son, Quincy, from a previous relationship. The couple split up in 2007.
In the months since Porter's death, Combs said he has “jumped into mommy mode” and is focused on keeping his family strong as they mourn.