Jennifer Lopez and Shakira plan to honor Kobe Bryant during their Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show on Sunday, when they take the stage in Miami. Shakira said she was sure Bryant would be “very proud” of their celebration of diversity during the show. Lopez also revealed that Bryant was at one of her final Las Vegas shows.
“I can’t imagine the pain his family must be going through right now,” Shakira told reporters during the stars’ press conference in Miami Thursday, reports ET Canada. “Life is so fragile. We will all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and we will be celebrating life and celebrating diversity. I’m sure he will be very proud of the message we will be trying to convey on stage.”
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Lopez said Bryant and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, both attended her last performance in Las Vegas as part of a date night.
“I think it’s affecting everyone so much because it makes us realize how fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every moment and how we have to love people when they are here… and not wait,” Lopez explained. “And then I think about Vanessa, as a mom, and losing her best friend and partner and losing her child… And how awful it must feel for her right now.”
Lopez said they will include a “heartfelt” tribute to Bryant in their “packed” halftime show.
“When we did the first run-through, Shakira was like, ‘That was great.’ It’s different what we do,” Lopez said of their styles, notes CNN. “It’s very Shakira and very Jennifer.”
Lopez said the two have been preparing for this show all year, and called performing the halftime show a “dream coming true.”
“It’s nerve-wracking but it’s also exhilarating,” Shakira added. “And it’s in Miami! And it’ll be on my birthday!”
.@JLo talks about Kobe and Vanessa Bryant coming to her last show in Vegas. #SBLIV pic.twitter.com/422udJD54o
— FanSided (@FanSided) January 30, 2020
Following Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash Sunday, Lopez paid tribute to Bryant and his family on Instagram by sharing photos of the Los Angeles Lakers star with his family.
“Family. As I scrolled through Kobe’s feed, and Alex and I talk memories and moments we remember about him … this is the truth that rings out the loudest … family is what matters most,” Lopez wrote. “We are all feeling sadness from this loss, but all I can think of is that it is a grain of sand compared to what Vanessa must going through right now.”
“I am sending all of my love and praying for you, your children and the other families involved in today’s tragic turn of events,” the Hustlers star continued. “The most unfair thing in life is to lose a child and husband on the same day. Vanessa, I pray for your strength and that God guides you each step of the way through this unimaginable heartbreak. To the other families who are suffering from this unthinkable tragedy, may God be with you all. Kobe you meant so much to so many and we will miss you forever. Thank you for your work ethic, your inspiration and your heart.”
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California Sunday. The other victims were John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Super Bowl LIV, between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, live on Fox.
Photo credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images
