Kobe Bryant Called Wife Vanessa His ‘Queen’ in Emotional Tribute 2 Months Before He Died

Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, leaving behind Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and three daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months. In November, Bryant and Vanessa celebrated 20 years of knowing each other, which Bryant marked with a tribute to his wife on Instagram.

“On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant,” the former Laker wrote alongside a throwback photo of the couple as well as a more recent one. “I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses) I love you my mamacita per sempre.”

The couple met when Vanessa was 17 and married in 2001. Natalia was born in 2003, Gianna in 2006, Bianka in 2016 and Capri in June 2019.

“Being a father is the thing I am most proud of in this world; it’s my greatest accomplishment,” Bryant told Maria Shriver last year. “I’ve learned so much, but perhaps the most profound thing has been the fierce, unconditional love you have for your children when you become a parent. I’m blessed to have had that experience four times now and there’s nothing more powerful in this world.”

When Bryant won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2018 for Dear Basketball, he thanked Vanessa and his girls in his acceptance speech.

“To my wife Vanessa and our daughters Natalia, Gianna and Bianka, ti amo con tutto il cuore [I love you with all my heart],” he said. “You are my inspiration.”

A source told PEOPLE that Vanessa is “devastated” after the deaths of her husband and daughter.

“She can hardly keep it together,” they said. “She can’t finish a sentence without crying. But she is working very hard to pull it together for the other girls. She now has to be the strong one.”

“Of course, you can never be prepared for this. Despite their ups and downs, [Vanessa and Kobe] were soulmates. She thought of him as her partner for life,” the source continued, adding that Vanessa “is surrounded by people who love her and love Kobe. She has a good support system. She is relying on her faith. She is not alone. But she will be grieving this for a very long time.”

Bryant and Gianna were two of nine victims in the crash. The other victims included Gianna’s basketball teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Altobelli’s parents John and Keri Altobelli, Chester’s mom Sarah Chester, girls basketball coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.

Photo Credit: Getty / Andrew D. Bernstein