The untold story of Diddy's dad and his twisted crimes

As the world is gripped by Sean Diddy Combs' criminal trial and wonders what could have possibly led him into such depths of depravity, one man is notably absent. 

Every day, the rapper, 55, who is currently standing trial in New York on sex trafficking charges, is supported at court by his loyal mother Janice.

Even most of his seven children attended the opening statements as a group, with some of his sons in regular attendance.

Yet if there is one man who haunts the trial, it is his late father, Melvin Combs - who may even explain how Diddy came to land in such hot water.

Melvin was the original 'bad boy', a gangster affiliated with the notorious New York mobster Frank Lucas, who was famously portrayed by Denzel Washington in the movie American Gangster.

He died when Diddy was just three, but his 'hustler' mentality inspired the music mogul's pursuit of stardom.

Melvin was shot dead by a drug dealer in 1972, at the age of 33, while he was sitting in his car in New York City.

Psychologists have now suggested that Melvin's 'gang affiliation, as well as his absence, may have influenced Diddy's later life of debauchery.

Diddy was just three at the time, but Melvin's early passing did not stop the rap mogul from finding parts of himself in his father's hustler history. He has previously admitted he is 'definitely' similar to his father, claiming to share his 'hustler's mentality, his hustler's spirit, his drive, his determination, his swag'. Pictured: Melvin, Janice and a baby Sean Combs

As Sean 'Diddy' Combs stands trial for sex trafficking and racketeering, salacious stories about his life are being laid bare before the entire world. Diddy is pictured at his birthday celebration in 2009 at at The Plaza Hotel in New York City

Dr. Michele Leno is a licensed psychologist in Michigan and hosts Mind Matters with Dr. Michele TV show. 

She said it was highly plausible that Melvin's past inspired Diddy's choices.

'Biological parents can influence our lives even when they are physically distant or did not raise us,' she explained. 

People absorb parents' physical and psychological attributes thanks to genetic inheritance, according to Leno. 

'Diddy's knowledge of his father's gang affiliation, as well as his absence, possibly contributed to his personality and behaviors,' she said. 

'While Diddy's exact thought process is unknown, kids often want to be like or unlike their absent or 'flawed' parent. 

'But sometimes we become what we spend too much time trying to resist.'

Diddy, who claimed Melvin was very successful at 'selling narcotics', has previously admitted that his father's prosperity inspired his own entrepreneurial ventures, but claims unlike his father 'I'm just doing it in a legal way'. 

Diddy's father Melvin was shot dead by a drug dealer in 1972, at the age of 33, while he was sitting in his car in New York City. Diddy and Melvin are pictured together

Melvin was the original 'bad boy', a gangster affiliated with the notorious New York mobster Frank Lucas, who was famously portrayed by Denzel Washington in the movie American Gangster (above) 

Melvin was connected with Lucas and Nicky Barnes, another famed Harlem gangster of the 60s and 70s. 

While his father did not work with either of them, Diddy claimed his father was 'as big as' both of them. 

He also said Melvin's shortcomings inspired him to become a successful entrepreneur and businessman in his own right. 

'My father was a hustler. He was a drug dealer and he was a hustler, so I learned early in life that there's only two ways out of that dead-end jail,' Diddy shared in the deeply personal video interview titled Confessions, which was released in 2013 under his Revolt TV enterprise.

'It made me work even harder. 

'Sometimes you can't just answer why things happen, but I definitely think the route that I went on - staying out of the streets and hitting my books and trying to be somebody - I think he played a role in that.' 

Famed gangster Frank Lucas (pictured) worked with Melvin Combs. He also revealed he met Diddy when he was a young boy because 'his daddy used to bring him over my house' when he would 'come see me on various business'

Psychologists suggest that growing up without a father figure likely influenced Diddy's 'drive for power'. Diddy is pictured with his mother Janice Combs in June 2022

Diddy admitted 'I don't have a lot of memories of my father', but still felt the effects of his absence throughout his life. 

'They say you can't miss something you never had, but that's only a little ways right. 

'There's definitely been times as I've gotten older that I've missed my father - his presence - not being here...

'There's things that you would ask your father. There's also things that you would celebrate with him that would make him proud.' 

Diddy grew up believing Melvin died in a car crash, a story peddled by his mother Janice Combs.

He only learned of his father's assassination after he dug into his past himself and stumbled upon an article about Janice wearing a full-length chinchilla coat to Melvin's funeral. 

Combs said he was wearing 'mink'.

'That was like the story of just the glamour and like the decadence of our family and just like he was the kingpin, you know, of Harlem,' Diddy said. 

The rap mogul claimed Janice lied about his father's career to protect him from going down the same path.  

He believes that he would have become 'one of the biggest drug dealers out there because...the type of person I would have wanted to follow in my father's footsteps.'

And experts say the music mogul's hypothesis is not at all far-fetched. 

Diddy (pictured in a June 4, 2025 court sketch) has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking

Dr Leno said growing up without a father figure would have influenced Diddy's 'drive for power' and 'closeness with his own children'.

'He knew that he would not be an absent father, but presumably like his father, he craved security and power,' she told the Daily Mail.

'While there are mixed feelings about power and its potential to corrupt, most view parent-child bonds as positive, and both traits may be directly related to his ties to his father,' she added.

There is also a possibility that had Melvin survived, Diddy may have worked with Harlem's notorious gangsters too. 

Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking in 1976 and sentenced to 70 years in prison, but only served seven years behind bars before becoming an informant and being placed in the Witness Protection Program.

He re-emerged in 2010 to publicly share his story which saw him unveil details about his 'good friend' Melvin.

'We did a lot of business together,' Lucas told Vlad TV. 'Of course it was not legal business, but we did a lot of business together.' 

He also revealed how he met Diddy when he was a young boy because 'his daddy used to bring him over my house' when he would 'come see me on various business'.

Lucas claimed he 'casually' told Combs 'something' about Melvin's past, but 'I didn't give him the whole story because he didn't press me'.

After Melvin's death, Janice made the decision to move Diddy and his sister from Harlem to the suburban town of Mount Vernon in New York. 

But his upbringing in the suburbs was not like that of other children, those who knew the family have claimed. 

Neighbors in Mount Vernon previously told Daily Mail that they had witnessed 'wild' parties thrown by Janice for her young son.

Diddy seen pouring champagne over two attendees at a party in 1998 

Diddy is seen glaring across the room in one image from a party, surrounded by vodka bottles as someone else films him

Diddy's childhood friend Tim Patterson told Daily Mail last month that his lack of a father figure was also very evident.

'In my home, there were boots and there were high-heeled shoes in the closet. In Sean's home, there were high-heeled shoes. There were no boots. So that makes sense. There was something missing from his maturing,' Patterson said. 

'Because Sean had no dad, all he had was his mom. Sean's house, our house, there was always things going on. On the weekend, and we did that a lot.'

'He was around all type of alcohol, he was around reefer smoke,' he also claimed.

'He was around drug addicts, lesbians, homosexuals, pimps and pushers. 

'That was just who was in our house.' 

Board-certified forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman claimed that Diddy's 'real psychological imprint' likely came from his upbringing with Janice.

'Diddy grew up in a household where his mother and grandmother were present - not his father.

'When someone is raised in dysfunction, they don't recognize it as abnormal. What we're seeing today is a grown man recreating the chaos he was raised in - only now it's darker, more dangerous, and harder to control.'

After the 55-year-old rapper was indicted in March last year, a disturbing video recorded in 2022 and showing the mother and son duo sharing a kiss resurfaced.

Janice was reportedly a regular figure around her son's infamous 'white parties'. 

Their close relationship has also raised eyebrows over the years. 

After the music executive was indicted in September last year, a disturbing video recorded in 2022 resurfaced, showing the mother and son duo sharing a kiss on the mouth. 

'Yeah, my mom is gorgeous,' Diddy says in the footage.

'Everything's good baby, I'm here with you. I love you,' Janice says, smiling. 

'Ma Dukes', as Combs affectionately calls her, has been a firm defender of her son since he was indicted in September last year.

Last October, she even went as far as to liken the allegations against her son to a 'public lynching'. 

Janice Combs arrives at Federal Court for Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial at US court in Manhattan, in New York City on June 6, 2025

Diddy has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say that over two decades Combs coerced women, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, to take part in drug-fueled sexual acts.

Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships, but argue that women who took part in 'Freak Offs' did so consensually.

The Daily Mail has approached Combs' representatives for comment