Kim Porter laid to rest in elaborate service with fireworks; many stars in attendance
Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, family and friends said goodbye Saturday to Columbus native and model Kim Antwinette Porter in an elaborate funeral.
Porter was found dead in her Los Angeles home on Nov. 15. She was 47.
The funeral for the mother of four was held in Columbus, Georgia, at 11 a.m. at Cascade Hills Church, 727 54th St., with Charles E. Huff International Funeral Home handling the arrangements. There was no public viewing at the church.
More than 2,500 people were seen outside the mega church, including entrepreneur, record producer and author Russell Simmons. Other guests included Usher, Mary J. Blige, Lil’ Kim and Mase. Faith Evans, Yolanda Adams and the Spencer High School All Class Reunion Choir gave musical tributes. Combs, her longtime companion and father of her children, gave a reflection along with her son, Quincy.
Bishop Noel Jones of Gardena, Calif., officiated and delivered the eulogy. Burial followed in Evergreen Memorial Park, 4500 St. Marys Road, where her mother, Sarah L. Porter, was buried after she died on April 25, 2014. Sarah was owner of Royal Cafe, one of the oldest soul food restaurants in Columbus.
Hundreds of onlookers lined St. Mary’s Road as the procession of mourners, which lasted about 30 minutes, arrived at the cemetery. Combs, his family and close friends waved to the crowd as they arrived in his motorcade. A colorful fireworks display ended the graveside service.
Porter was discovered unresponsive in her home in the 10300 block of Woodbridge Street in Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley. She was pronounced dead at 11:40 a.m. at the scene. An autopsy was completed Nov. 16 but a cause of death has been deferred, pending additional investigation, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office.
Porter was born on Dec. 15, 1970, in Columbus, Georgia, to Jake Porter and the late Sarah Porter. She attended schools in the Muscogee County School District and graduated from Columbus High School in 1988. After graduation, she moved to Atlanta to pursue a modeling and acting career.
She was the mother of Quincy Brown from a relationship with R&B singer Al B. Sure and had an off and on relationship with record producer Combs. They had three children together: a son, Christian Casey Combs; and twin daughters, D’Lila Star and Jessie James Combs.
Other than Combs, survivors include her four children, Quincy Brown, Christian Combs, D’Lila Star Combs, Jessie James Combs, her father, grandmother, Lila Mae Star and a host of other relatives and friends.
“As I reflect on my time with my beautiful daughter, I treasure the last few years I spent living in Los Angeles to be with Kim and the children,” her father said in a release Friday. “It was a blessing to be able to have that special bond with all my grandchildren and experience their day to day life and activities.l Kim was a great mom and her spirit continues to radiate through her children.”
Diddy posted multiple tributes to Porter on Instagram on Nov. 18, remembering her as his “soulmate.”
“For the last three days I’ve been trying to wake up out of this nightmare,” he said. “But I haven’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you baby. I miss you so much. Today I’m going to pay tribute to you, I’m going to try and find the words to explain our unexplainable relationship. “
Columbus native Dallas Austin, a Grammy-award winning songwriter and producer who also spoke at the funeral, posted a message on Instagram Nov. 16 about growing up with Porter. They were close friends and went to prom together at Columbus High School.
“This is the hardest post I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “My mom and Kim’s mom was pregnant with us at the same time in Columbus ... I have never known a life without Kim porter from kindergarten through all of our life long experiences in high school, having matching bmws or her being the biggest believer in me making it as a producer and us getting out of Columbus to be somebody.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2018 at 7:20 PM.