Vanessa Bryant honors Kobe and Gianna with Dia de los Muertos dress, crown: 'Amor Eterno'

Vanessa Bryant is honoring her late husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant by celebrating Dia de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead.

The businesswoman and mother, 40, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video of herself dressed in the traditional attire worn on the holiday, which is observed primarily in Mexico as a celebration of those who have died. Bryant showed who she was honoring during the celebration by standing in front of a mural featuring Kobe and Gianna, who both died in a helicopter accident in January 2020. In the video, Bryant wore skull makeup as well as a long black dress with a purple heart in the center, and accessorized the look with a gold headpiece adorned with matching flowers.

Bryant captioned the post, "Amor Eterno~ Dia De Los Muertos ~ Kobe & Gigi."

In a second post, she detailed how the look came together, writing that designer Lily Martinez was integral to the look.

"The #2 on my sacred heart for my Gigi, the golden basketball halo with 24 stars for my husband, the 6 butterflies on my flower crown representing my family… everything is so heartfelt and thought out," she wrote. "The love and details you put into this do not go unnoticed."

Bryant received lots of love in her comments section. Rachel Zoe called the video "absolutely beautiful," while LaLa Anthony wrote, "Beautiful, V."

The photographer, Kusha Alagband, also shared a video of Bryant, along with a caption about capturing the special moment.

"Yesterday I switched my activist hat for my real job. Had an opportunity to shoot the stunning @vanessabryant in an amazing gown made for Dia de los Muertos (sometimes called Dia de los Fieles Difuntos) – Day of the Dead," she wrote. "Traditionally, November 1st honors deceased children and November 2nd honors deceased adults. Day of the Dead is celebrated passionately throughout Mexico, and especially so in smaller provincial towns and cities. Far from being a morbid event, Day of Dead emphasizes remembrance of past lives and expresses celebration of the continuity of life. Local families will plan for Day of the Dead celebrations days, weeks, or perhaps even a whole year in advance. A focal point of the remembrance ritual is families creating ofrendas —altars with offerings to the deceased— which are set-up in homes or public spaces like parks or plazas, and also at local cemeteries where family members are buried. This is such a beautiful tradition… so glad I got to capture this day and share presence with this super woman"

Bryant, who is also mom to Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 3, has shared her grief over losing her husband and daughter publicly — but has also spoken about the ways in which their legacies inspire her. Since their deaths, Bryant has worked with the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, which was established in 2016 by Kobe but renamed in 2020, in order to ensure more children have access to sports and fitness.

In August 2022, Bryant pledged the $16 million she won in a lawsuit against Los Angeles County following the distribution of the helicopter crash photos by members of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Fire Department to the organization.

"I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going," she told People in 2021. "They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional, and they motivate me in so many different ways."

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