Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant shares touching image on would-be 24th wedding anniversary
Vanessa Bryant has paid a heartfelt tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant, on what would have been their 24th wedding anniversary.
On Friday, April 18, Vanessa shared a nostalgic photo on Instagram to mark the special day.
The couple, who first met in the summer of 1999 and became engaged within six months, were married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.
Their wedding was a private affair with only about a dozen guests in attendance.
In her tribute, Vanessa highlighted Kobe's iconic No. 24 Los Angeles Lakers jersey, captioning
the post:
'#24. #Anniversary ❤️ @kobebryant ⛪️❤️ 4/18/01 🙏🏽.'
The photo showed the couple at the Rush Hour 2 premiere in July 2001, capturing a moment from early in their life together.
Kobe and Vanessa had four daughters together: Natalia, 22, Bianka, 8, Capri, 5, and the late Gianna, who tragically died alongside her father in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Gianna was 13, and Kobe was 41 at the time.
In the years since their deaths, Vanessa and her family have worked to keep their memories alive through various memorials and projects.
Just days before the fifth anniversary of Kobe and Gianna's passing, Vanessa announced the upcoming release of Mamba & Mambacita Forever, a collection of over 100 murals and stories celebrating their lasting impact.
The book is set to be released on August 19, shortly before Kobe Bryant Day on August 24. According to a press release, the book 'brings together the images and stories' of the public art installations honouring Kobe and Gianna.
In August 2024, the Los Angeles Lakers and Vanessa unveiled a bronze statue titled 'Girl Dad' outside Crypto.com Arena to honour Kobe's relationship with his daughters.
Vanessa has spoken openly about the pain of losing her husband and daughter, telling
People
in March 2021, 'This pain is unimaginable (but) you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn't going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that's what I do.'
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