Vanessa Bryant is fondly remembering her late husband Kobe Bryant on what would have been his 45th birthday (Aug. 23) with a heartfelt Instagram post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHappy birthday, baby. I love you always & forever. \u2764\ufe0f #82378,\u201d captioned Vanessa on her post with old photos of the couple throughout the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The couple first met in 1999 on the set of a music video and married on April 18, 2001. They welcomed daughters Natalia in 2003 and Gianna in 2006. After Kobe\u2019s retirement from the NBA<\/a> in 2015, the couple welcomed two more daughters, Bianka in 2016 and Capri in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tragedy struck in January 2020 when Kobe and his daughter Gianna, 13, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three years after Kobe and Gianna\u2019s untimely passing, Vanessa continues to honour her late husband and daughter in meaningful ways. In collaboration with Nike, a limited-edition\u00a0triple-white \u201cHalo\u201d Kobe 8 sneaker<\/a>\u00a0was released today in honour of Kobe\u2019s birthday, marking the grand return of the signature line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanessa designed a special denim jacket in honour<\/a> of Kobe and Gianna for Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour in Inglewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n