Squatters take over abandoned $10m ‘Diddy Combs’ mansion
Squatters and graffiti artists have destroyed the Hollywood mansion that gave Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ fame. See the pictures.
Squatters and graffiti artists have taken over and trashed a once-picture perfect $10m mansion that was the scene of a hit Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs music video.
Combs filmed a music video inside the now-abandoned Hollywood Hills mansion taken over by squatters and taggers who have since spray-painted “Diddy was here” on the roof after learning about the production.
The New York Post reports, Combs used several parts of the luxurious home including the great room, the spiral staircase and outside near the pool as the background for his 2007 song “Last Night” featuring Keyshia Cole.
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Mary J. Blige has resided in the mansion in years past, as have several “high-level business folks,” one neighbour named Jack told KABC.
“I think some influencers have lived here over the years. It’s a really cool house. It’s big,” the neighbour added.
“The longer it sits like this, more people are going to come and keep doing what they’re doing,” Jack said.
“The neighbourhood, this house specifically, could use a security guard. Two guards … not that expensive. Let’s keep the neighbourhood safe.”
Combs is being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after he was arrested by federal agents on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
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The rapper was placed on suicide watch inside the jail as a “preventive measure.”
The neglected mansion at 7571 Mulholland Drive in the posh Hollywood Hills has been owned by John Powers Middleton since 2012.
According to property website realtor.com, the home was sold for US$4.8m.
It is currently estimated to be worth around $10m and could be rented for around U$9,000 a month.
Middleton, the only son of businessman and Philadelphia Phillies owner John S. Middleton, was issued an abatement order by the city of Los Angeles two years after purchasing the property.
Middleton owns a second Los Angeles property that has also become overrun by squatters and taggers, according to KABC.
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Squatters and taggers have been entering the property for over two years.
The unwanted guests have become headaches and safety hazards for the neighbours, who call the home an eyesore, with the exterior walls blasted with graffiti art and “tags.”
Residents living near the Hollywood Hills home have fumed that they’re no longer safe living near the property.
One homeowner was attacked by a vagrant with a “steel bar and beer bottle,” WPVI reported.
Others claim the taggers are beginning to spread their work to other properties.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety declared the property a nuisance and issued an abatement order forcing the owner to build a fence and secure the property in October 2022, NBCLA reported.
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Middleton failed to comply with the order, leading the city to erect a fence instead.
A lien has been issued on the home and Middleton has defaulted on property taxes for several years.
The squatters and taggers still accessed the six-bedroom, 9,707-square-foot home.
Most of the windows have been shattered, and the exterior walls and the roof have been covered with graffiti.
Private security has been placed at the home 24/7 in hopes of keeping the squatters and taggers away.
The Los Angeles Police Department was called to the property six times in September and removed 10 people on Wednesday, arresting one on a warrant, KABC reported.
Part of this article originally appeared in the New York Post and are republished here with permission.
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Originally published as Squatters take over abandoned $10m ‘Diddy Combs’ mansion