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

During an interview with the Los Angeles TimesSting said that despite the allegations against Combs – who sampled the song on 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 1980s classic, Sting replied: “No. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on (with Diddy). But for me it doesn’t detract from the song at all. It’s still my song.” Sting added that fans are still “absolutely” eager to hear that song performed.

The Bad Boy mogul is currently facing a sex trafficking and racketeering case, along with at least a dozen new civil lawsuits filed against Combs following his arrest in September. Last week, Combs’ attorneys filed a motion urging the court to “immediately curb out-of-court statements from potential witnesses and their counsel” while the court weighs both sides’ arguments.

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

“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 X in April 2023. “He probably makes over $5,000 a day on one of the biggest songs in history.”

“I’ll Be Missing You”, featuring Faith Hill in 1997, was a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. and became a hit for Diddy. The rapper only asked Sting for permission for the sample after the song was released. Diddy and Sting have discussed the situation before.

In an interview with Rolling stone in 2003, Sting confirmed that the unpurified sample made him a lot of money.

“Those guys just take your stuff, put it on a record and deal with the legalities later,” Sting said at the time. “Elton John said to me, ‘You have to hear it (“I’ll Be Missing You”), you’re going to be a millionaire!’ I said, ‘I’m a millionaire!’ He said, “You’re going to be a millionaire twice over!” With the proceeds I put some of my children through college, and me and P. Diddy are still good friends.