*Thousands of fans attended Monday’s sold-out public memorial to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Bryant’s wifeVanessa named the event “A Celebration of Life,” which also paid tribute to the seven other victims who died in the helicopter crash on January 26.
Some of the celebrities and athletes who attended the star-studded event included: Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Kanye West, Kris Jenner, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Ciara, Russell Wilson, Magic Johnson, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe Bryant’s parents, Joe and Pam Bryant, were among the close family and friends present. Vanessa had the support of her mother, Sofia, her sister Sophie and the grieving mother was also accompanied by eldest daughter, Natalia.
Heavy.com writes, “Vanessa’s biological father, who hasn’t been a part of her life since she was a young child, or her ex-stepfather, Stephen Laine, whom her mother divorced in 2002,” were not expected to attend, as she is reportedly estranged from both men.
Following Kobe and Gianna’s death last month, Laine told The Sun, “I just found out and can’t say much, just that I wish the family well. I just heard on the news that Gianna died as well. It’s terrible. My heart goes out to Vanessa and the kids.”
Via heavy.com:
Vanessa and Stephen used to be close. While no one from Kobe’s family attended their wedding at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California, Stephen was one of the 12 guests at the ceremony in 2001. When Laine asked his teenage daughter as to why Kobe wasn’t signing a prenup, he told The Los Angeles Times that “she just came home one day and said something to the effect that Kobe didn’t want a prenup — that he loved her too much.”
Vanessa was 3-years-old and her sister Sophie was 13 when her mother divorced their biological father. Sofia married Stephen Laine in 1990, and while he did not adopt her girls, both Vanessa and her sister legally changed their last name to match his, the report states.
In related news, amid Kobe’s memorial service on Monday, news dropped that his grieving wife filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owned the helicopter that crashed last month and claimed the lives of her husband, daughter and seven other people, TMZ reports.
Bryant and her lawyers contend that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, who died in the crash, was allowed to fly in extremely foggy weather, making it difficult for him to see, which caused him to fly recklessly. The lawsuit notes that it due to weather conditions, it was impossible for him to avoid “natural obstacles” in his flight path.
Vanessa Bryant is reportedly seeking damages caused by “pre-impact” terror.
