NEW YORK (AP) — Although it’s a bestseller on Amazon, the late Kim Porter did not write a tell-all memoir detailing an abusive relationship with her longtime partner Sean “Diddy” Combs, her children said in a statement Tuesday.
“Kim’s Lost Words: A journey for justice, from the other side…” was independently published on Amazon in early September, over a week prior to Combs’ arrest in New York and the unsealing of an indictment against him. It’s alleged to be based on Porter’s diary and notes.
Porter’s children, Quincy, Christian, Jessie and D’Lila, denounced the book as a complete fabrication in a collective statement on Instagram late Tuesday.
“Claims that our mom wrote a book are simply untrue. She did not, and anyone claiming to have a manuscript is misrepresenting themselves,” the statement read. “Any so-called ‘friend’ speaking on behalf of our mom or her family is not a friend, nor do they have her best interests at heart.”
Christian, Jessie and D’Lila are Porter and Combs’ children, and Quincy is Porter’s son from a previous relationship, but he was largely raised by Combs. Their statement is the first they’ve made since Combs was arrested, and they don’t directly address the criminal case against him.
Likely in response to the book’s alleged details of violence Combs committed against Porter, the children said the volume of “hurtful and false rumors” circulating about their parents’ relationship compelled them to speak out.
Porter died from pneumonia in November 2018 at age 47, according to her autopsy report, which determined she died of natural causes. At the time of her death, Combs’ said he and the former model and actor were “more than best friends” and “more than soul mates.”
The book contends in its “disclaimers” section that foul play is responsible for Porter’s death. Her children said they are “deeply saddened that the world has made a spectacle of what has been the most tragic event of our lives,” noting that her cause of death has been established for years and that there wasn’t any foul play.
Riddled with typos and errors, a preview for the short book details physical abuse, sexual coercion and other acts of violence Combs allegedly committed. The $22 paperback had a quiet release on Amazon, but skyrocketed after the news of Combs’ arrest and the shocking details of the indictment. It reached the No. 1 spot on Amazon’s bestseller’s list, but has since dropped down in the rankings.
The author of the book is listed as Jamal T. Millwood, writing “for Kimberly A. Porter.” The author behind the book is Todd Christopher Guzze, who goes by the name Chris Todd and defines his occupation as an “investigative producer, author and journalist.”
In a phone interview with The Associated Press Wednesday, Todd said he was approached by people “very close to Kim and Sean Combs” who provided him with a “flash drive, documents and tapes” from Porter that he eventually pieced together to create the memoir in a months-long process.
In response to Porter’s children’s statement, Todd said his “door is open” for any family members to communicate directly with him.
Todd urged skeptics to “do some homework on who I am” and look at prior cases he’s worked on.
Regarding the use of the pseudonym of Millwood — a name conspiracy theorists believe the late rapper Tupac Shakur is using as an alias after his 1996 shooting death was allegedly staged — Todd said his sources requested he use the name specifically for its connection to Shakur.
Rolling Stone was the first to report Todd’s identity behind the pseudonym.
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