Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal troubles aren’t going to ruin the 1983 Police hit, “Every Breath You Take” for its writer, Grammy-winning artist Sting.
In 1997, Diddy and Faith Evans released the song “I’ll Be Missing You,” which famously sampled “Every Breath You Take.”
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times published on Monday, Nov. 11, Sting was asked if the ‘80s hit has been ruined for him because of Diddy’s legal saga, to which he said “No.”
“I mean, I don’t know what went on [with Diddy],” Sting explained. “But it doesn’t taint the song at all for me. It’s still my song.”
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Bad Boy Records released “I’ll Be Missing You” in honor of Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered on March 9, 1997.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club in 2018, Sting — whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner — confirmed that Diddy did not seek permission to sample his song, and had agreed to pay Sting $2,000 per day for “the rest of his life.”
After Diddy started paying up, all was settled and Sting performed with the mogul and Evans at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
Meanwhile, the Bad Boy Records founder is currenty jailed at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
He was arrested on Sept. 16 in New York City and charged with three counts — racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Combs was previously denied bail twice and has filed an appeal. A federal judge has set a May 5, 2025 trial date for the mogul.
He’s also facing dozens of civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. Combs has denied all of the allegations against him.
