Sting says Diddy’s accusations don’t ‘taint every breath you take’

In a recent interview, Sting discussed Police’s top hit “Every Breath You Take” from their 1983 album Synchronicity and the song’s connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs.

During an interview with the Los Angeles TimesSting said that despite the allegations against Combs – who sampled the song in 1997’s “I’ll Be Missing You” – the iconic song is still his.

When asked if the Combs controversy affected the way the Police frontman viewed the Eighties classic, Sting replied: “No. I mean, I don’t know what happened [with Diddy]. For me it doesn’t hurt the song at all. It’s still my song.” Sting added that fans still “absolutely” love hearing the track performed.

The bad boy mogul is currently facing a sex trafficking and racketeering case, and at least a dozen new civil lawsuits have been filed against Combs following his arrest in September. Just last week, Combs’ lawyers filed a motion asking the court to “immediately withhold out-of-court statements from potential witnesses and their attorneys” while the court weighs arguments from both parties.

Combs previously claimed he paid Sting $5,000 a day to use the song as a sample for “I’ll Be Missing You,” but the disgraced musician later clarified that he was “joking.”

“Me and @OfficialSting have been friends for a long time! “He never charged me $3,000 or $5,000 a day for ‘Missing You,'” Combs wrote on “

“I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Hill from 1997 was a tribute to the Notorious BIG and became a hit for Diddy. The rapper only asked Sting’s permission for the sample after the song’s release. Diddy and Sting have both addressed the situation before.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Back in 2003, Sting confirmed that the unexplained sample had brought him a lot of money.

“These guys just take your shit, record it, and worry about the legality later,” Sting said at the time. “Elton John told me, ‘You need to hear this.’ [“I’ll Be Missing You”]you’ll become a millionaire!’ I said, “I’m a millionaire!” He said, “You’re going to be a millionaire twice over!” I used the proceeds to send a few of my kids to college, and me and P. Diddy are still good friends.”