Jennifer Lopez Said That She and Alex Rodriguez Are Devastated Over Kobe Bryant's Passing
During a press conference about her upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show, Jennifer Lopez took some time to speak about how she and those close to her are handling the death of Kobe Bryant. According to Entertainment Tonight, Lopez and her fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, were close friends with Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, since Rodriguez and Bryant rose to prominence in their respective sports at nearly the same time. Lopez explained how she heard about the news and said that she and Rodriguez are both heartbroken over the situation.
"Alex came to me with tears in his eyes, and he's like, 'You're not going to believe what happened.' He was devastated. He knew Kobe really well," she said. "They kind of came up together, entered sports around the same time, and he was just devasted. I knew Kobe and Vanessa more in passing. He had come to my last show in Vegas — the both of them — as a date night and we had a beautiful night that night."
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Lopez went on to say that Bryant's death is hitting so many so hard not only because he was so respected, but because his passing is a stark reminder that unexpected things can happen without warning. She told reporters that it reminded her of just how "fragile" life is and that she hopes people take a few moments to show their loved ones a little bit of appreciation.
"I think it's affecting everybody so much because it's just reminding us, again, how fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every single moment and how we have to love people while they're here and not wait," she added. "And how we don't get the opportunity — it can be taken away from us so easily."
She added that her thoughts are with Vanessa, because she's not just mourning the death of her partner and husband, she also lost her daughrer, Gigi.
"Vanessa as a mom, and losing her best friend and partner and losing her child," Lopez continued. "I think of how awful that must be for her right now. I've just been praying that God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of. And just wishing that the nightmare was over but it's not going to be. That's life and we have to carry on. But at the same time, it affects us and it will affect us forever."
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Shakira, who will be performing alongside Lopez this Sunday, echoed her sentiments.
"I can't imagine the pain his family must be going through right now. Life is so fragile and that's why we have to try to live every moment as intensely as we can," she said. "I think we will all be remembering Kobe on Sunday. We'll be celebrating life, and celebrating diversity in this country."
