Vanessa Bryant Honors Late Husband Kobe Bryant on Valentine's Day: "Forever and Always"
Vanessa Bryant's wished her late husband Kobe Bryant on Valentine's day with a cute and romantic picture and a video from their happy and long marriage. The 40-year-old shared a throwback picture, which showed the pair smiling as they sat cuddled up in a garden, Vanessa captioned it, "Happy Valentine's Day Boo-Boo." She added alongside a heart emoji, "Forever & Always," according to E!News.
Hola! reported, Vanessa’s post also included an Instagram Reel from a Kobe fan account. “I think I would describe love as happiness,” Kobe said in the video. “I think I’d describe it as a beautiful journey. It has its ups and downs, whether it’s in a marriage, whether it’s in career. Things are never perfect, but through love, you continue to persevere.”
The late NBA star continued in the video: "I think love is a certain determination. A persistence to go through the good times and the bad times with someone or something that you truly love." The couple was married for two decades after first meeting on the set of a music video in 1999 when Kobe was 20 and Vanessa was 17. They married on April 18, 2001, in Dana Point, California, and welcomed their first child, Natalia, in 2003, followed by Gianna in 2006. Following Kobe's retirement from the NBA after 20 seasons, he and Vanessa welcomed two more daughters: Bianka in 2016 and Capri in 2019.
According to People Magazine, It's been three years since the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that killed Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, along with seven others: John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan. The group was on their way to a youth basketball game.
Since his death, Vanessa has shared many tributes to her husband and daughter. She also spoke at a public memorial for him and Gianna which was conducted on February 24, 2020, nearly a month after their deaths. "She had the best laugh," Vanessa said of Gianna at the celebration of life. "It was infectious, it was pure and genuine. Kobe and Gianna naturally gravitated toward each other. " Vanessa paid tribute to her husband's love of fatherhood, saying, "Kobe was the MVP of girl dads or MVD. He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them how to be brave."
"We loved each other with our whole beings," she continued, "two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls."
Two weeks before the one-year anniversary of the crash, Vanessa opened up on Instagram about dealing with grief. "One day you're in the moment laughing and the next day you don't feel like being alive," she wrote. "I want to say this for people struggling with grief and heartbreaking loss. Find your reason to live. I know it's hard. Death is guaranteed but living the rest of the day isn't," Vanessa added. "Find your reason."
