Sean 'Diddy' Combs tells ITV News: 'Fearless' David Bowie gave me courage to reinvent myself
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has paid tribute to "fearless" artist David Bowie and credited the late megastar with championing black musicians.
Speaking exclusively to ITV News in Los Angeles, Diddy - real name Sean Combs - said Bowie's death had "shook the music industry to the core".
"He taught us freedom, to be fearless, reinvention, and not to play by the rules.
"I think the modern-day freedom and artistry that you see today is really derived from him."
Bowie's final album Blackstar shot straight to the top of the album charts on Friday following his death last Sunday.
Diddy said he was a huge fan of Bowie's growing up and recalled the first time he saw him perform on US TV variety show Soul Train.
"I was watching Soul Train and there was this white guy with so much swag. He was so funky.
"I knew it was David Bowie, but as a kid it was just this white guy on Soul Train just performing his heart out."
Watch Bowie's performance on Soul Train in the 1970s below:
Diddy got the chance to collaborate with Bowie twice on Let's Dance/Been Around The World (1997) and This American Life (2001) for the film Training Day.
Talking about his time working with him, Diddy said he had been in "awe" of the singer.
David Bowie also famously stood up for black musicians on MTV in 1983, when during an interview he asked why so few black artists featured on the new TV channel.
"Having watched MTV over the past few months, it's a solid enterprise with a lot going for it," Bowie said.
"I'm just floored that by the fact that there's so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?"
Diddy paid tribute to Bowie's stance saying: "He stood up for R&B and artists of colour.
"He said there's something wrong here, everyone should have a fair chance on MTV, and he helped break down that barrier."
The two-time Grammy Award winner said Bowie also gave him the courage to "change his name so many times".
He added: "His story will live on forever - he was the definition of fearlessness".
Bowie died on Sunday aged 69 after an 18-month battle with liver cancer.
He is believed to have been secretly cremated in New York but his family are said to be planning a private ceremony in his memory.
As well as scoring the Number One in the UK charts, Bowie is also expected to get his first Number One in the US Billboard charts this week.
Nine of Bowie's other classic albums also featured in this week's UK Top 40.