Vanessa Bryant wrote a heartfelt condolence to her father-in-law, Joe Bryant, who recently passed away on July 16, 2024, at the age of 69.
In her Instagram story, Vanessa Bryant wrote, “Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing, we hoped things would’ve been different.“
She added, “Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around, and Kobe loved him very much.“
Though Kobe’s parents, Joe and Pamela, didn’t attend their wedding because they had been fighting over a dispute with Kobe for over three years, things were resolved when their first daughter, Natalia, was born in January 2003.
Furthermore, regarding Vanessa Bryant’s biological parents, she was born Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo to Sofia Urbieta, a Mexican immigrant mother and an Irish-English German father.
Vanessa’s parents divorced when she was a child, and her father moved to Baja, Mexico, turning away from Vanessa and her mother.
Vanessa Bryant’s mother, Sofia Urbieta, married Stephen Laine after the divorce
Struggling to raise two girls, Vanessa and her older sister, Sophie, living in her sister’s spare room, Sofia Urbieta worked as a shipping clerk at an electronics company named One Point.
While working as a clerk, Sofia met Stephen Laine, a middle-level manager at the same company.
Moreover, Sofia and Stephen tied the knot in 1990. After her mother and stepfather married, Vanessa officially changed her name to Vanessa Marie Laine in 2000.
The family then bought a four-bedroom home in Garden Grove, but Sofa’s back injuries prevented her from finding a job.
The family had a lot of debt, which led Stephen to go bankrupt, and unfortunately, Vanessa’s mother and stepfather got divorced in 2003 after 13 years of marriage.
Laine’s family told the Daily Press that Vanessa barely spoke to them after the divorce.
Despite having a close mother-daughter relationship, Sofia Laine filed a lawsuit against Vanessa in December 2020
Although Vanessa was incredibly close to her mother, Sofia, they now have an estranged relationship.
In an interview with Univision in 2020, Sofia stated that her relationship with Vanessa had changed after Kobe Bryant’s demise.
Sofia stated, “She told me, I need you to get out of this house and she wanted her car and she wanted it now.“
According to Sofia, after Vanessa kicked her out of the house, she lived in an apartment where Vanessa had to pay the rent.
She continued, “Vanessa said after March 2021, you have to manage on your own.“
Furthermore, Sofia added that she has been unable to see or speak with other granddaughters.
Sofia also filed a lawsuit against Vanessa, claiming $5 million for serving as the family’s nanny and personal assistant for many years without pay.
In response to her mother’s claims, Vanessa made a statement, writing, “My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly and yet my mother had the audacity to do a tv interview speaking negatively of me.“
Vanessa added, “My husband and I have supported her financially for the past 20 years, and I continue to do so, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters or me since my husband and daughter passed away.“
Lastly, Vanessa stated that seeing what is most important to her mother is more than painful.
Sofia was last seen with Vanessa and her family in a Thanksgiving picture on Kobe Bryant’s Instagram in November 2019.
Additional Information
- Model and Philanthropist Vanessa Bryant lives with her three daughters, Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe.
- She runs the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports needy child athletes.
- Vanessa is also the president and CEO of Granity Studios. In 2007, Kobe and Vanessa founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation to provide scholarships to young people.
