Speaking on Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Vanessa who fought back tears started by thanking the crowd before mourning the loss of her daughter.
“Thank you so much for being here. It means so much to us, the outpouring of love and support from around the world has been so uplifting,” she said before sharing memories first of Gianna. “My baby girl, Gianna Bryant, is an amazingly sweet and gentle soul, she would kiss me every morning and every night.”
“She was daddy’s girl but I know she loved mama, and she would always show me and tell me how much she loved me,” she continued. “She was one of my very best friends.”
“Her smile took up her entire face, like mine,” she said. “Kobe always said she was me she had my fire, my personality… she was tender and loving on the inside. She had the best laugh, it was infectious, it was pure and genuine. Kobe and Gianna naturally gravitated toward each other.”
“She was a nice person, a leader, a teacher … she gave the best hugs and kisses,” she remembered, fighting back tears. ” … I miss looking at her beautiful face.”
“I won’t be able to see her go to high school with [sister] Natalia, I won’t be able to see her walk down the aisle,” she continued, breaking down in tears. “Or have a father daughter-dance with her daddy and have babies of her own. Gianna would’ve been an amazing mommy. … She probably would have been the best player in the WNBA. She would have made a huge difference in the way women are viewed in sports.”
She also emotionally remembered her late husband, Kobe.
“Now for my soulmate. Kobe was known for being a fierce competitor on the basketball court, the greatest of all time, a writer, and Oscar winner and the Black Mamba, but to me, he was Kob-Kob, my boo-boo, may bae-boo, my papi-chulo,” she said through tears.
“I was his vee-bee, his principesa, his reina, his queen mamba. I couldn’t see him as a celebrity, nor as an incredible basketball player, he was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children. He was mine. He was my everything.
Kobe and I have been together since I was 17 and a half years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant and his protector. He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words.”
Shee also said Kobe was a romantic person and even bought her Rachel McAdams’ blue dress from The Notebook.
She also called him the “greatest girl dad.”
“He happily did carpool, he was a doting father, he was a father that was hands-on and present,” she shared. “He shared a love of movies and the break-down of films with Natalia. He loves your typical tear-jerkers, Steel Magnolias, Little Women … he had a tender heart.”
“I want my daughters to remember the amazing husband and father he was,” she said. “… He also liked working on projects to improve people’s lives.”
Vanessa broke down in tears when she talked about Kobe and Gianna dying together.
“God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other,” she said. “He had to bring them home to him together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi. I got Natalia, Bianka and Capri. We’re still the best team. We love and miss you boo-boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven. Until we meet again, we love and miss you forever and always.”
The NBA legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna along with seven other victims, died after a tagic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Hollywood icon Denzel Washington recently disclosed his past struggles with alcohol during an interview with Esquire.
The two-time Academy Award winner candidly shared a fifteen-year pattern of wine consumption. What began as a casual habit gradually escalated into a regular occurrence.
He began, “Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he elaborated, recalling how a wine cellar he constructed in 1999 within his home became a place for self-indulgence.
The actor added,
“And part of it was we built this big house in 1999 with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar, and I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.”
Washington also delved into his past, acknowledging his youthful experimentation with drugs. However, he emphasized that he never developed an addiction to substances such as heroin or cocaine.
He continued,
“I’m sure at first it was easy because I was younger. Two months off and let’s go. But drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in ’99. It started earlier.”
A decade ago, as Washington neared his 60th birthday, a turning point arrived. He made the resolute decision to abstain from alcohol completely.
“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Be ten years this December. I stopped at sixty and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven,” said Washington.
Renowned music executive and record label boss, Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy, recently expressed disappointment over his current relationship status.
On Monday, he took to Instagram to share his desire to participate in the popular “suspect challenge.” This social media trend involves couples playfully teasing each other. However, the 41-year-old entrepreneur lamented that he couldn’t join in the fun due to his single status.
“Suspect wants to do suspect challenge but no suspect partner,” he wrote. In the accompanying caption, the music executive lamented that “it hurts.”
This isn’t the first time Don Jazzy has publicly discussed his relationship status. In 2021, he revealed that he married Michelle Jackson, a UK-based writer and model, at the age of 20. Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce after two years.
“I fucked it up cos I was giving all my time to my music. Music became a priority instead of my family. We got divorced when I was 22 and it hurt,” he said.
Earlier this year, Don Jazzy explained that he has not remarried as he is currently focused on personal growth and self-development.
“I dey work on myself so that when my head correct, my babe go enjoy me,” he wrote in pidgin English.
In 2004, Don Jazzy and his former partner, D’banj, co-founded Mo’ Hits Records. Following its closure, Don Jazzy established Mavin Records in 2012.
Mavin Records has produced and nurtured a roster of talented artists. They include Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Dr SID, D’Prince, DNA Twins,Ayra Starr, Johnny Drille, Crayon,Boy Spice, Bayanni, Rema,Lifesize Teddy, and Ladipoe.
To commemorate his 37th birthday in 2019, Don Jazzy unveiled the Mavin Creative Studios. The studio is a multimillion-naira mansion serving as the label’s corporate headquarters.
Mavin Records has received numerous accolades, including two consecutive MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Record Label in 2013 and 2014.
The label’s artists have also collaborated with international music stars such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Kelly Rowland, and Chris Brown.
Nigerian singer Johnny Drille and his wife Rima celebrated their daughter Amaris’ first birthday on November 18, 2024. Johnny Drille shared heartwarming photos from Amaris’ first birthday photoshoot to commemorate this special occasion.
In the pictures, the adorable baby girl stole the show with her radiant cuteness. The happy family of three posed together, creating lasting memories. Fans and followers were overjoyed to see the little bundle of joy and showered her with love and blessings.
In his caption, he wrote,
“One year ago, you made us parents, and our hearts have never been fuller. Watching you grow, smile, mean-mug, and light up our world has been the greatest gift we could ever wish for. Happy 1st birthday to our sweet little girl Amaris. You’ve turned our world into such beauty. Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughter, and adventures with you ❤️”
Fans flooded the comment section to celebrate Amaris’ birthday.
They showered her with compliments, prayers, and well-wishes.
A comment read, “She’s so beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ happy birthday, most beautiful,” and another person commented, “Happy Birthday, Beautiful Amaris Esohe Ighodalo, May the beauty of God keep surrounding you ❤️God bless Mummy and Daddy.”
Another person comically wrote, “Chei my fallopian tube is shouting o 😢😢😢😢😢😢 too cute. Wait dear e remain small! Happy birthday, Sunshine.”
In 2023, Johnny Drille shared a heartwarming video on social media. He announced the birth of his daughter three days after Christmas.
The video showcased intimate family moments from the month prior. Also, it captured the joy and love surrounding the newborn’s arrival.
Drille wrote in his caption,
“AMARIS ESOHE IGHODARO | 11.17.23. Six weeks ago today, we held in our arms our daughter for the first time. It’s hard to explain but it’s the most miraculous thing i’ve ever known… Dear @rimouuune i’m in awe of your strength, I’ve seen you go through real pain the last few months, but you stayed strong for our baby, and for me. Been watching you take on motherhood with so much grace. Something more exciting about raising this child with you.”
In 2022, Rima and the singer secretly got married. They kept their marriage private until a year later, when they publicly announced their anniversary.