Who is Vanessa Laine Bryant?
Vanessa Laine Bryant (full name: Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta Laine) is an American former model and video vixen. She is the wife of the former professional basketball player, Kobe Bryant. The couple was married from April 18, 2001, until Kobe’s death on 26th January 2020. Bryant, their 13-year old daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Laine began her career as a teenager and has appeared in numerous music videos.
How Old is Vanessa Laine Bryant? | Age
Laine is 37 years old as of 2019. She was born on May 5, 1982, in Los Angeles, California.
Vanessa Laine Bryant Family
Vanessa was born to Sofia Lane. She is half-Irish and Mexican descent. Her mother was married to a businessman, Stephen Laine but filed for divorce in July of 2002. Vanessa took her step-father’s last name (Laine) in 2000 even though he never adopted her.
Vanessa’s mother and her stepfather filed for bankruptcy in 2000. Laine and Kobe helped them out with cash and gifts worth more than $500,000.
Vanessa Laine Bryant Husband
Vanessa met her future husband Kobe Bryant in November 1999. At that time, she was 17 years old while Bryant was 21 years old. At that time, she was working as a background dancer on the Tha Eastsidaz music video “G’d Up”.That time Bryant was in the building and working on his debut musical album.
They began dating and eventually got engaged six months later in May 2000. At the time of their engagement, Laine was still l a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. For her to avoid media scrutiny, Bryant finished high school through independent study.
Laine and Bryant got married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. Laine had filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, and the couple requested joint custody of their daughters. The couple later announced via social media that they had called off their divorce on January 11, 2013.
Vanessa Laine Bryant Wedding
Bryant’s and Laine’s wedding was not attended by Bryant’s parents Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox, his two sisters, his longtime advisor, and agent Arn Tellem, or his Laker teammates. His parents were opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons.
According to some sources, Bryant’s parents were very much opposed to him marrying while so young and furthermore to a lady who was not African-American. According to Laine’s cousin, Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement.
Kobe Bryant and Gianna’s Death
Kobe Bryant, a former professional basketball player died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash outside of Calabasas, California, at the age of 41.
On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California at 9:06 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Onboard were Kobe Byrant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna, six family friends and the pilot. The eight were traveling to a practice session at Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.
There was light rain and foggy weather that morning, the LAPD helicopters and most other air traffic were grounded. According to the flight tracker, the helicopter experienced issues above the L.A. Zoo and circled the area six times at an altitude of around 850 feet(260m).
At around 9:30 a.m., the pilot who was named Ara Zobayan contacted the Burbank Airport’s control tower. He notified the tower of the situation and was told he was “flying too low” to be tracked by radar. During that time, the helicopter experienced extreme fog and turned south towards the mountains. The helicopter climbed rapidly at 9:40 a.m. It moved from 1,200 to 2,000 feet (370 to 610 m) flying at 161 knots (298 km/h; 185 mph).
The helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and caught on fire at 9:45 a.m. Kobe Bryant, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and the pilot Ara Zobayan were killed instantly.
Kobe was a lifelong fan of his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also a fan of soccer teams Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester City.
Vanessa Laine Bryant Daughters
Laine and Kobe’s first child, a daughter, Natalia Diamante Bryant was born in January 2003. The birth of the couple’s first child influenced Bryant to reconcile his differences with his parents. In the spring of 2005, Laine suffered a miscarriage as a result of ectopic pregnancy.
The couple welcomed their second child, a daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant on 1st May 2006. Vanessa gave birth to their third daughter, Bianka Bella Bryant on December 5, 2016. In January 2019, Bryant’s family announced they were expecting a fourth child. Their daughter, Capri Kobe Bryant was born on June 20, 2019
Vanessa Laine Bryant Net Worth
Laine has an estimated net worth of $75 million. Her husband had an estimated net worth of $500 million and he received an annual salary of $25 million.