‘Sending our love to you’

Vanessa Bryant is celebrating her late husband’s birthday. Kobe Bryant would have turned 47 this past August 23rd, with his family taking the opportunity to share some sweet photos of him and a message, memorializing his legacy and sharing with the world just how important a figure he remains in their lives.

Vanessa and Natalia shared tributes on their social media, with both sharing photos that highlighted their sweet dynamics. Vanessa shared a photo of herself and Kobe, with her kissing his cheek and holding on to his face. 

The two stand in front of a church, with the image likely taken while they were vacationing somewhere in Europe. “We love and miss you and Gigi so much. Sending our love to you. Happy birthday, baby,” she wrote in the post’s caption. 

For her part, Natalia shared a photo that showed how sweet Kobe was as a father, with the two sitting next to a statue with its head bent, and both mimicking its posture, with their heads bent and their legs identically crossed over the other. “Happy birthday daddy,” she captioned the image, adding a red heart emoji.

Vanessa and Kobe were the parents of four daughters: the late Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. 

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Vanessa Byant on the loss of her husband and child

Kobe and Gigi Bryant died in a helicopter crash in 2020. The tragedy impacted the world, none more than Vanessa and her family. 

Over the years, Vanessa has discussed her grief openly and vulnerably, using her love and pain as fuel to keep going. Over the past five years, she’s worked on multiple projects, including the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which empowers young women and underserved athletes. 

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“This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward,” she said in a 2021 interview with PEOPLE. “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.”

“I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going,” she continued. “They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways.”

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