Kobe Bryant: Who Is Vanessa Bryant’s Mother, Sofia Laine?

The Bryant family was recently in attendance for the Celebration of Life memorial that was held for Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant on Monday at the Staples Center. Vanessa Bryant‘s mother, Sofia Laine, was reportedly right by her side during the public memorial service. Following her appearance at the emotional event, fans might be wondering who exactly Laine is. According to Inquisitr, Laine has been her daughter’s rock throughout this tragedy.

According to the publication, Laine raised both Vanessa and her sister, Sophie Laine, as a single parent before she wed Stephen Laine in 1990. Vanessa reportedly dropped her birth father’s last name, Cornejo, and took her stepfather’s last name. Laine later divorced her husband in 2003, claiming that her husband was “involved in another relationship,” per ESPN.

Laine and Kobe reportedly enjoyed a close relationship. She was in attendance for Kobe and Vanessa’s 2001 nuptials, unlike his parents, Joe and Pam Bryant, who did not. Laine also supported Kobe when he announced his retirement from basketball back in 2015, as seen in a throwback photo posted by reporter Phil Shuman. Vanessa’s mother also celebrated Thanksgiving with her daughter’s family in November 2019, as seen in a photo posted by the late NBA icon himself.

On Feb. 12, Us Weekly reported that Vanessa has leaned on her mother in the days and weeks following the untimely deaths of both Kobe and Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash that took place on Jan. 26. The publication reported that Vanessa “is incredibly close to her mom and her mom has been her rock throughout the past few weeks.”

“Her mom is always with her and the girls [Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months] and she’s been keeping Vanessa strong and she’s the weight of her support system,” the source added.

The same source noted that Vanessa is “in denial” about the loss of both her husband and daughter, but that she knows that “life must go on” for the sake of her family.

“There is no other option, simply put,” the insider explained. “Vanessa takes solace in the support of her mom and her sister [Sophie Laine], who are committed to seeing her through this. But at the end of the day, there aren’t words to describe her feelings.”