A swimming pool, chandeliers and dusty fireplaces: Inside Diddy’s abandoned Atlanta mansion

Eerie photos taken by an urban explorer in 2022 show how the sprawling property was left empty after the music mogul purchased it for $2.6m in 2003

The kitchen counters are covered in dust; a crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, coated in cobwebs. Around the huge rooms, furniture and pieces of decor sit in various states of disrepair.

This is the abandoned Atlanta mansion once owned by music mogul Sean “P Diddy” Combs, who is back in the spotlight after two of his properties were raided by US Homeland Security this week.

The Bad Boy Entertainment founder bought the eight-bedroom, 16-bathroom home – which was built in 1987 – for $2.6m (£2m) from HJ Newton in 2003, and has never spoken about why he left it empty for so many years.

The swimming pool of Diddy’s former Atlanta property (mediadrumimages/@abandoned_south)

Spanning 20,000 square feet, the sprawling Italian Baroque-inspired estate boasts a library, games room, gourmet kitchen, wine cellar, home theatre, gym and sauna. It also comes with five working fireplaces, a swimming pool and detached five-car garage.

Photos of the property were taken in 2022 by urban exporer Leland Kent, who also uses the handle Abandoned Southeast.

“The reason Combs abandoned the property remains unknown,” he said at the time. “It is rumoured that he planned to renovate the mansion, however, due to the 2008 housing crisis, funding became an issue.”

The grand staircase of Diddy’s abandoned mansion in Atlanta (mediadrumimages/@abandoned_south)

Leland said that the property was later sold at auction in 2012, while the Combs-owned Justin’s Restaurant in nearby Buckhead closed that same year.

The kitchen of Diddy’s former Atlanta home (mediadrumimages/@abandoned_south)

Forbes estimated Combs’s networth in 2019 to stand at around $740m (£590m), while recent estimates place it as high as $750m, thanks to his career as a rapper, music producer and label owner, along with his ventures in alcohol brands including Ciroc vodka and DeLeón tequila, both owned by Diageo.

Combs and Diageo settled various ongoing disputes in January this year, after the rapper alleged in a 2023 lawsuit that the alcohol giant had failed to support marketing agreements involving the vodka and tequila brands.

“Sean Combs and Diageo have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them,” a statement attributed to both parties said. “Mr Combs has withdrawn all of his allegations about Diageo and will voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice.

“Diageo and Mr Combs have no ongoing business relationship, either with respect to Cîroc vodka or DeLeón tequila, which Diageo now solely owns.”

Diddy’s LA and Miami homes were raided this week (AFP via Getty Images)

Homeland Security raided Combs’s Los Angeles and Miami mansions on Monday (25 March), which his lawyer branded “a gross overuse of military force”.

Lawyers for Combs said there was “no excuse” for the “hostility” shown by authorities towards Combs’s children and staff members at the two properties. His LA mansion is in the upmarket Holmby Hills area, near Bel Air and Beverly Hills, while his Miami Beach home is located on the ultra-exclusive Star Island.

The raids were said to be “in connection with a federal sex trafficking investigation” according to Fox 11.

Law enforcement agents stand at the entrance to a property belonging to rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (Rebecca Blackwell/AP/PA) (AP)

In a statement issued on Monday, Homeland Security said: “Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners.

“We will provide further information as it becomes available.”

“[On Tuesday] there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr Combs’ residences,” the mogul’s lawyer, Aaron Dyers, said in his statement.

“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

Combs was not detained and spoke to authorities, and neither he nor any family members were arrested, nor has their travel been restricted, Dyer said.

He claimed that the “unprecedented ambush” has led to a “premature rush to judgement of Mr Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits”.

“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he continued. “Mr Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

Pictured: Diddy, whose homes were raided by Homeland Security this week (Reuters-EPA)

Combs has been hit with several sexual abuse lawsuits in recent months.

In February, producer Rodney Jones alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him and forced him to sleep with sex workers.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, accused the music mogul of repeated instances of unsolicited groping and sexual touching. It also said that the man had to work in a bathroom while Combs showered and walked around naked.

Combs has previously denied all the accusations against him and vowed to “fight for my name, my family and for the truth”.