Birthday tributes poured in on what would have been the 45th birthday of late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
On August 23, Kobe Bryantâs widow, Vanessa Bryant, 41, paid tribute to her late husband on her Instagram page.
âHappy 45th birthday, baby. I love you always & forever,â she wrote.
The couple married in 2001.
Kobe Bryantâs daughter, Natalia Bryant, honored her father on her Instagram page, simply writing, âHappy Birthday Daddy.â
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Sharia Wash, sister of Kobe Bryant, also paid tribute to the basketball player and expressed she missed his âphysical presenceâ daily.
âBut your legacy will live on forever. Happy birthday Bean! Love you,â she wrote, referring to him as âone of a kind.â
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She concluded, âYou are responsible for how people remember youâor donât. So donât take it lightly.â
LA Kings music director Deiter Ruehle, who once worked with Kobe Bryant, posted a throwback photo of them together on X, formerly known as Twitter.
âTaking a moment to remember Kobe Bryant on what wouldâve been his 45th birthday. Honored and flattered he sought me out to create music for his childrenâs podcast The Punies,â he wrote in the caption.
Deiter Ruehle added he, âLoved every minute working with himâ and missed him âdearly.â
The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the former player, whom they referred to as âthe icon, legend, and Black Mamba.â
âHappy birthday, Kobe,â the team wrote on X.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant along with his daughter, Gianna, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
The crash also claimed the lives of Payton Chester, 13, Alyssa Altobelli,14, Sarah Chester, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Keri Altobelli, 46, Christina Mauser, 38, and the helicopterâs pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, according to People.