Al B. Sure! Calls for Investigation Into Kim Porter’s Death in Wake of Diddy Arrest
Singer Al B. Sure! has waded into the Sean “Diddy” Combs legal morass by calling for official action to be taken against the team that created what he referred to as a new “fake” memoir credited to his ex-wife — and Combs’ longtime girlfriend — Kim Porter. Kim’s Lost Words: A Journey for Justice From the Other Side… was released on Amazon on Sept. 6, a week before Combs was arrested and indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and it allegedly contains information Porter saved on a flash drive and gave to friends before her sudden death in 2018 at age 47 from lobar pneumonia.
“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, 56, born Albert Joseph Brown, in an Instagram post on Monday (Sept. 23) that featured hashtags for a raft of law enforcement agencies. The singer-songwriter added that he had been “ignored” and ridiculed.”
More from Billboard
Sure claimed that an alleged effort to silence him was meant to prevent the singer from sharing “facts and insights” he said Porter told him during “frequent and intimate conversations.” Sure and Porter were married from 1989 to 1990 and had a son, Quincy Brown, 33, whom Combs later adopted when the child was 3-years-old.
Sure’s posts also included what he said were allegedly stolen notes that he claimed were intended to be included in Porter’s memoir, as well as claims that his late ex’s devices have gone missing as further proof of what he deemed an alleged cover-up about the facts surrounding her death, which he called a “tragic murder.” (Porter’s children have since released a statement saying “there was no foul play” in her death, and called the rumors “false and hurtful.”)
“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.”
Sure alleged that that “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 make a connection between Porter’s death and a settlement last year between Combs and former girlfriend singer Cassie Ventura. A day after Ventura sued Combs for what she alleged were years of physical and emotional abuse and rape, the pair reached an undisclosed settlement.
The series of posts from Sure also included excerpts from the 59-page book published by Los Angeles producer Chris Todd under the pen name Jamal T. Millwood.
In a statement to Billboard on Tuesday (Sept. 24), Combs’ attorney Erica Wolf wrote, “The Kim Porter ‘memoir’ is fake. It is also offensive – a shameless attempt to profit from tragedy. Chris Todd has no respect for Ms. Porter or her family, who deserve better. … It is an established fact that Ms. Porter died of natural causes. May she rest in peace.”
Porter was found dead at her Toluca Lake, Calif., home in 2018 after suffering from what was described as days of “flu-like” symptoms. The coroner initially listing her cause of death as “deferred,” then later changing it to to lobar pneumonia, a type of pneumonia characterized by infection and/or inflammation of one or more lobes of a patient’s lungs.
Ventura is one of at least eight people who have sued Combs, alleging sexual abuse. The Bad Boy Records founder was arrested on Sept. 16 in New York on an indictment charging him with a racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution, charges Combs has pleaded not guilty to. The disgraced music mogul, who has denied the allegations against him, has been denied bail twice and will remain behind bars awaiting his trial date.
Rolling Stone reported that author Todd (aka Millwood, born Todd Christopher Guzze), told the publication that he cannot guarantee that the claims in the No. 1 bestselling book are authentic, saying he received the flash drive allegedly containing the notes from two unnamed “music industry” sources. The magazine notes that the book contains “numerous typos, factual inaccuracies and incredulous claims involving high-profile names,” adding that two of Porter’s friends, Kimora Lee Simmons and Lawanda Lane, told the magazine that they “don’t know [the author] at all.”
“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,” Todd told RS. “Maybe not 100% of the book is true, but maybe 80% is.”
Sure ended his posts by noting that he was on good terms with Porter near the end of her life and that they had friendly conversations until just a few days before her death. “We must continue to advocate for justice and ensure that everyone of the individuals who conspired against her are held accountable and prosecuted to the highest extent of the law,” he wrote.
Combs and Porter dated on-and-off for 13 years until 2017, and they had three children together: son Christian Combs and twins Jessie and D’Lila Combs.
Best of Billboard
Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.