FILE – Vanessa Laine Bryant (L) and Kobe Bryant attend the 2018 Baby2Baby Gala Presented by Paul Mitchell at 3LABS on November 10, 2018 in Culver City, California. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Baby2Baby/AFP
MANILA, Philippines—Vanessa Bryant received a surprise for her birthday in the most special of ways.
Just a day before she turned 38, Vanessa discovered a letter from her late husband Kobe inside an envelope labeled “To: The Love of my Life. From, Tu Papi” with the heart symbol.
“I waited to open one more letter on my birthday, it gave me something to look forward to today. The irony is that Kobe had a photo of me drawn with and Angel holding me up by an artist on the cover,” wrote Vanessa in an Instagram post. “Missing the Love of myLife and my sweet little Mamacita—my fellow Taurus.”
“Grateful to wake up to my three sweet girls today. Wish we were all together. #MyBirthdayWish.”
It’s been three months since Kobe and their daughter Gianna, together with seven other people, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Support was duly given to Vanessa after the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter.
Gianna was supposed to turn 14 on May 1 and Vanessa paid tribute to her daughter by asking friends, family, and fans to wear her favorite color red.
Former Los Angeles laker Pau Gasol, who has had a brotherly relationship with Kobe, sent Vanessa a birthday cake for Gianna’s 14th year.
Gasol also sent flowers to Vanessa and Kobe’s 19th wedding anniversary on April 19.