Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, his 12-year-old twin daughters, D?Lila Star Combs and Jessie James Combs, and his daughter, Chance Combs, 12 pose together in an intimate portrait for the cover of ESSENCE?s May 2019 Power Issue in celebration of the magazine?s 49th anniversary.

Inside the issue, the entertainment mogul and family man opens his heart to award-winning writer and filmmaker (and longtime friend) Dream Hampton to share details of his last moments with Kim Porter.

The music mogul speaks about the inner-workings of their incredible love story and how their family plans to honor Porter’s legacy of love as a united family.

Details + photos below…

Nearly six months after the death of Combs? ex Kim Porter, the music mogul is opening up about her presence in his life even after her passing. ?As the family prepares for their first mother’s day without Porter, Combs, 49, shares how she left a beautiful legacy behind.

In the May issue of Essence, Combs, reveals what Porter told him before she died, stating:

?Three days before she passed, she wasn?t feeling well. She had the flu, and she sent the kids over to my house so they wouldn?t get sick.

One night I was checking on her, and she was like, ?Puffy, take care of my babies.? She actually said that to me before she died.

Combs says the words stuck with him on the morning of Nov. 15 after news broke that Porter had been found dead at her home in Toluca Lake, California.

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We did this to honor Kim and all mothers out there. Especially Black mothers. 🖤

A post shared by Diddy (@diddy) on Apr 24, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

Immediately after her untimely passing, Diddy, 49, tells ESSENCE he ?jumped into mommy mode? and hasn?t stopped trying to keep his family together and strong as they mourn their unfathomable loss.

Diddy and Porter, who also share a son, Christian Combs, 21, were never shy about how much they embraced what he calls their blended ?unconventional family,? which includes?Porter?s son with singer Al B. Sure!, Quincy Brown, 27, and Diddy?s son with celebrity stylist Misa Hylton Brim, Justin Combs, 25,? Chance Combs, 12, with stylist Sara Chapman and 12 year old?twins D?Lila Star Combs and Jessie James Combs, with Porter.

Diddy also spoke about how Porter had to come around to accepting Chance, who was born weeks before the couple?s twins.

?That betrayal really affected Kim. There were days I thought I may have lost my best friend,? he recalled.

?The healing took time.?

The glue that always bonded them together, Diddy insists, was trust.

?There was total trust,? Diddy told hampton.

?Whenever I was around her, I felt as though God had his hand in it. I always felt like God had sent her. Nobody could love me the way she loved me, especially as, you know, as crazy as I acted. I mean, she loved me through some real s?t.?

Diddy admits that Porter’s passing has changed him as a father, stating:

Before this, I was a part-time father, you know? My family was always first, but there are countless times when I chose work over everything else.

But every day I can hear her telling me to go and spend some time with the kids and make sure everybody?s all right, like she would do. I?m just a lot more present, and, most important, now my kids come before anything else in my life.

ESSENCE made a historic (and possibly controversial) decision to put a man on the cover in celebration of Mother?s Day but Hampton notes the decision wasn’t so much about Diddy as a single father but as a tribute to Kim Porter and the celebration of family.

Diddy & his mother Janice Combs

For more from Diddy and hampton?s interview, pick up the May 2019 issue of ESSENCE, available on newsstands and digital platforms on Friday.

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Photography by Dana Scruggs/Essence Magazine