Vanessa Bryant Shares Tribute to Late Husband Kobe Bryant on 44th Birthday

Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa Bryant penned a touching tribute to her late husband on what would have been his 44th birthday.

The NBA legend died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 alongside the couple’s daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others.

The couple also shared Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 3.

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant attend a Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles. They died in a helicopter accident just weeks later. Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images North America

Vanessa Bryant who is currently suing the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments over images of her deceased husband shared a heartwarming throwback photo of her and Kobe.

In the image, Kobe is wearing a 2009 Los Angeles Lakers championship T-shirt and baseball cap, leaning over his wife as the pair embrace.

They are both smiling happily towards the camera in the loved-up post.

“Happy birthday, baby! I love you and miss you so much! #44 ❤️,” Bryant captioned the Instagram post.

The former LA Lakers player was traveling by helicopter to one of Gianna’s basketball games when it went down in the Calabasas Hills west of Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded in its investigation that the crash was caused by pilot error. The investigators said the crash was likely caused after the pilot flew into clouds in violation of federal rules and became disoriented.

In September of that same year, Vanessa Bryant filed a federal lawsuit against the LA sheriff’s and fire departments for allegedly sharing photographs taken of the remains of her husband.

Jury selection for the invasion of privacy trial was completed earlier this month.

In her suit, she claims that photos of the crash site were shared by Los Angeles County employees in settings that were irrelevant to the investigation, including a sheriff’s deputy allegedly showing images of her husband’s corpse to bar patrons.

Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit claims civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress and violation of privacy. She is seeking unspecified millions in compensation.

“Mrs. Bryant feels ill at the thought that sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and members of the public have gawked at gratuitous images of her deceased husband and child,” the lawsuit states, according to Reuters.

“She lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”

But the Los Angeles County refuted the claims and asserted Vanessa Bryant’s emotional distress was actually caused by her family members’ death and not by the photos.

The County sought to order a psychiatric evaluation for Bryant, but a judge ruled against the request. However, she was ordered to turn over her mental health records.

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant attend the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills. She paid a touching tribute to her husband on what would have been his 44th birthday. Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Media reports just days after the helicopter crash alleged at least 10 members of the Los Angeles Police Department had seen unauthorized photographs of the crash site.

A police officer had allegedly posted photos of Bryant’s remains on social media, according to CBSSports.com.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department allegedly “quietly ordered deputies to delete any photos” of the crash scene after a citizen allegedly complained about a deputy showing “gruesome” images at a local bar as per a report in the Los Angeles Times in February, 2020.

Internal messaging to deputies suggested they would not be reprimanded if they deleted photos, and reports claimed the department attempted to “keep the situation quiet for five weeks after the crash.”

Following the photo leaks, California made it illegal for first responders to take unauthorized photos of an accident or crime scene.

Vanessa Bryant was flanked by her A-list friends, singers Ciara and Monica, as she attended court on Monday.

She had taken the stand at the trial on Friday and gave a three-hour emotional testimony.

Vanessa Bryant told that court that “I live in fear every day of being on social media and having these photos pop up.”

“I just remember not wanting to react because the girls were in the room.

“I bolted out of the house and I broke down and cried and I just wanted to run down the block and scream,” Vanessa Bryant continued. “I can’t escape my body. I can’t escape what I feel.”