Al B. Sure! Receives Award After He Investigates the Death of Kim Porter

At the American Lung Federation’s annual fundraising event on Monday night, R&B star Al B! Sure, also known as Albert Brown, made his first public appearance since calling for an investigation into the death of his former partner, Kim Porter. He was honored with the Transplant Trailblazer Award for his efforts in promoting health equity in New York.

“Being a trailblazer isn’t about fame or money,” Brown told the audience in midtown Manhattan. “It’s about walking an uncertain path with hope and belief, knowing the work you do will help those who come after you. For me, health is the real wealth.”

The singer, known for his success in the 90s, has been recovering from serious health issues in 2022, which left him on a ventilator for 38 days and in a coma for months. Brown shared his experience with the crowd, talking about his liver transplant and how it inspired him to fight for others going through similar challenges.

“I was intubated, septic, and had organ failure,” Brown said. “But while going through this, I decided to fight for all transplant patients around the world.” He encouraged the audience to support his cause, whether they had a transplant, needed one, or simply wanted to help.

Was Kim’s Death Natural?

In September, Brown made headlines with a series of Instagram posts asking for an investigation into Kim Porter’s death. Porter, who was the mother of his three children and later the long-time partner of Sean “Diddy” Combs, passed away in 2018 from lobar pneumonia.

Her death was ruled natural causes, but Brown referred to it as a “tragic murder” and linked it to a book Porter was allegedly writing about her life with Combs. He also said a manuscript claiming to be Porter’s draft, recently removed from Amazon, was fake.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested on September 16 and is facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail in Brooklyn.

At the event, Brown also announced his upcoming memoir, Before Coma, After Coma: The Al B! Sure Story, which will tell the story of his life, career, and health battle. He joked about how his Instagram posts seem to attract media attention and made a comment about Homeland Security being at the event, though it was unclear if he was serious or joking about event security.

“I’m not sure if I should say this because I don’t want it to go viral,” he joked. “But we even have Homeland Security here.”

Brown, who founded the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition, continues his work to improve healthcare for Black, Hispanic, and underserved communities. His organization focuses on restoring Medicare coverage for non-invasive tests that detect early signs of organ rejection without needing biopsies.

The Hollywood Reporter reached out to event organizers and Brown’s representatives about his comments but didn’t receive an immediate response.