Vanessa Bryant is the wife of the NBA star Kobe Bryant who died at the age of 41 along with 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday.
Bryant was traveling with his daughter and several other people to basketball practice at the Mamba Academy when the helicopter crashed, according to TMZ. There were no survivors in the crash.
People have been expressing their shock and grief about the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Many have also been making inquiries about his wife Vanessa.
Here is what we know about her.
Who is Vanessa Laine Bryant?
Vanessa was born on May 5, 1982, according to Hollywood Life. Her full birth name is Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta, but she later took the name of her stepfather, Stephen Laine.
She is 37 years old.
Vanessa and Kobe shared four children, 17-year-old Natalia Diamante (born January 2003), 13-year-old Gianna Maria-Onore, who died in the helicopter crash with Kobe (born May 2006), three-year-old Bianka Bella (born December 2016), and 7-month-old Capri Kobe (born June 2019).
Vanessa and Kobe met in 1999 when she was a 17-year-old girl at Marina High School, in Huntington Beach, California. He was 21 years old at the time.
Vanessa and Kobe met while she was working as a model and dancer in a music video for Snoop Dogg and his group Tha Eastsidaz.
Bryant proposed to Vanessa after a whirlwind courtship that lasted only six months.
They married in the spring of 2001 in a low-key wedding ceremony when she was 18. Bryant’s parents disapproved of the marriage and did not attend the wedding because they were concerned that the couple was too young. They were also concerned that Bryant did not sign a prenuptial agreement with her.
The marriage put a strain on Bryant’s relationship with his parents for many years.
Their relationship ran into problems back in 2003 when a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado accused Bryant of sexual assault. Bryant denied the accusation, saying that the sexual relationship was consensual. He also apologized to Vanessa for cheating.
The sexual assault charges filed against him were dropped in 2004 after the accuser refused to testify.
Vanessa stood by Kobe during the scandal, and to show his appreciation, Kobe gave her a purple diamond ring reportedly worth $4 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Vanessa suffered a miscarriage in 2005 due to an ectopic pregnancy.
She filed for divorce in 2011 citing “irreconcilable differences,” but she announced in 2013 that she had called it off.
Vanessa and Kobe had a loving relationship until his tragic death
Vanessa took to Instagram to express heartfelt feelings after Bryant announced he was retiring in 2015. She said she was proud of her husband.
“I’m so excited to see what God has in store for us as a family now that one chapter is closing and new ones are opening,” she said.
Bryant paid a touching tribute to Vanessa weeks before his tragic death. The occasion was the anniversary of the time they met 20 years ago.
“On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses) I love you my mamacita per sempre.”
Vanessa has more than 1.4 million followers on her Instagram account, which is set to private.