Tamera Mowry Breaks Down in Tears While Remembering Kobe Bryant’s Kindness and Work Ethic on ‘Sister, Sister’

The death of L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has hit the world incredibly hard, with Sister, Sister actress Tamera Mowry recently breaking down in tears while remembering the kindness he showed, and the work ethic he displayed, when he appeared on an episode of the sitcom more than two decades ago.

During Monday’s episode of The Real, Mowry tearfully spoke about her late friend, saying, “I met Kobe when we were both the same age, 19. I remember looking at him. He was so tall. He just started playing for the Lakers and I didn’t know what to expect because you think, ‘This athlete, he came out of high school and now he’s this big shot.’ But, I’ll never forget his humility. I’ll never forget his kindness.”

She went on to say, “He was so nervous and he had like one or two lines, but I remember, I was like, ‘Dang, he’s so focused.’ And my heart just goes out to all the families who have lost their loved ones.”

On Sunday, it was reported that Bryant’s private helicopter had crashed in the hills outside of Los Angeles, killing the sports legend. The tragedy was only made worse by the fact that his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as the six other passengers and the pilot, were also killed. Bryant leaves behind his 37-year-old wife Vanessa, along with three other daughters.

“She lost two people,” Mowry said of Vanessa. “She has to grieve her husband and her daughter. It just breaks my heart and shows me that life is fragile. Life is short and I know we say that, but we have to really work hard to stay in the present moment.”

“This is all we got. This moment right here,” the actress added, “Tell your loves ones that you love them.”

Amanda Seales, one of Mowry’s fellow The Real co-hosts, went on to comment as well, saying, “For those in our generation, it’s been very jarring to see that this isn’t someone that died from illness. It was just a shock.”

Bryant was just 41 years old at the time of his death. The crash is currently under investigation.