What really happened to Kim Porter?

Escalating controversy surrounding Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is dragging everyone around him into the mix — even those who are no longer with us, like Kim Porter.

The actress and former debutante had a respectable on-screen career, but she’s best known for her connections to Diddy and her presence as one of the founders of Three Brown Girls. She was also a vital factor in the discovery of the talented Janelle Monáe, who credits her as “the woman who single handedly changed” her life.

Following her death in 2018, Porter was largely remembered as the mother of Quincy Brown and an ex of Diddy’s, but she was so much more than those familial connections. She was a businesswoman, a model, an actress, a kindhearted soul, and an inspiration. She deeply affected the people she connected with ahead of her untimely death, and left the world a little bit darker when she left it.

How did Kim Porter die?

When Kim Porter passed away in 2018, a wave of support followed from the many people she touched over her 47 years on this earth. She was remembered well, as a warm, welcoming person who connected with nearly everyone she crossed paths with, and her legacy lives on through both the people she helped discover — like Janelle Monáe — and the children she raised.

The first of those children, Quincy Brown, went on to find fame in his own right. He was shared with singer and songwriter Al B. Sure!, who was so taken with Porter he penned a song just for her, performed by Jodeci, titled “Forever My Lady.” When Porter died, he referenced the song in a touching tribute to his long-ago love, showcasing just how much of an impact their short-lived relationship had on the 55-year-old.

Porter started an on-again-off-again relationship with Diddy a few years after Quincy was born, and went on to have three children by the controversial rapper. Their relationship was never rock-solid, but — several years following Porter’s death — Diddy penned a tribute song to the beloved actress, titled simply “Kim Porter.”

Quite a few people were affected by the loss of Porter, which came about unexpectedly in November of 2018. Following days of suffering from “flu-like” symptoms, Porter was declared dead on Nov. 15, and her death was later determined to be the result of lobar pneumonia, which causes massive inflammation of the lungs.

Rumors of malicious interference initiating from Al B. Sure! arose in the years following Porter’s death, but there’s no evidence to support his claims of murder. The songwriter managed to convince at least a few fans that Porter’s death was, in fact, a targeted attack, but the results of her biopsy contradict his claims. It seems clear, despite his theories, that Porter simply got sick and never recovered.

Her untimely death rocked those around the beloved star, and Porter’s funeral was attended by hundreds, all of whom remember her for the welcoming warmth she brought to each and every situation. She was 47.