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Vanessa Bryant wishes Kobe happy birthday in emotional post

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Kobe Bryant with fiancee Vanessa Laine at the New Year’s Eve party hosted by Shaquille O’Neal at the Staples Center, Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2000.  (Ann Johansson / For The Times)
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Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Laine were married April 18, 2001. Later that year, the couple celebrated the Lakers’ NBA championship with a parade through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.  (Anacleto Rapping / Los Angeles Times)
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Two years after the marriage, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a Colorado woman. During a news conference on July 18, 2003, Kobe Bryant admitted to adultery but denied the accusation. Vanessa Bryant stood by his side.  (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
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Vanessa Bryant’s $4-million, eight-carat purple diamond ring given to her by Kobe Bryant after it was revealed he had not been faithful. Vanessa Bryant showed it off at the Teen Choice Awards.  (E.J. Flynn / AP)
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Kobe Bryant displays a tattoo he describes as a tribute to wife, Vanessa, in October 2003.  (Douglas C. Pizac / AP)
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Kobe and Vanessa Bryant at the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on June 5, 2004.  (Frank Micelotta / Getty Images)
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Five years after they were married, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were expecting their second child. Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born May 1, 2006.  (Vince Bucci / Getty Images for Bodog.Com)
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Vanessa Bryant and her daughters wave to Kobe Bryant during the 2010 NBA All-Star game at Staples Center.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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In June, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, right, listen to homeless youth tell their stories before announcing the official formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant is gifted a passel of balloons as his daughter Gianna, right, wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia join him for a ceremony celebrating his passing of Michael Jordan as the third leading scorer in NBA history before a game against the OKC Thunder at Staples Center on Dec. 19, 2014.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses wife Vanessa soon after leading the Lakers to a 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz while scoring 60 points in his last game as a Laker.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Kobe Bryant kisses his wife Vanessa after his last game at Staples Center on April 13, 2016.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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An 18-year-old Vanessa Laine at a Lakers game in June 2000. At the time, she was Kobe’s fiancee and a senior at Marina High in Huntington Beach.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Vanessa Bryant’s $4-million, eight-carat purple diamond ring given to her by Kobe Bryant after it was revealed he had not been faithful. Vanessa Bryant showed it off at the Teen Choice Awards.   (E.J. Flynn / Associated Press)
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Kobe Bryant displays a tattoo he describes as a tribute to wife, Vanessa, in October 2003.  (Douglas C. Pizac / Associated Press)
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Kobe and Vanessa Bryant at the MTV Movie Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on June 5, 2004.

  (Frank Micelotta / Getty Images)
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Five years after they were married, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were expecting their second child. Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born May 1, 2006.  (Vince Bucci / Getty Images for Bodog.com)
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Vanessa Bryant and her daughters wave to Kobe Bryant during the 2010 NBA All-Star game at Staples Center.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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In June, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, right, listen to homeless youth tell their stories before announcing the official formation of the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
By Dan LoumenaAssistant Sports Editor 
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In a heart-wrenching social media post, Vanessa Bryant wished late husband Kobe Bryant a happy birthday and said that she wished that she had passed first.

The Lakers legend would have turned 42 on Sunday.

‘I’m mad I didn’t go first. … It should’ve been me,” Vanessa wrote in an Instagram post.

She said she wished that she could make Kobe his favorite meal and a birthday cake, that she missed his smile, kisses, hugs and laugh.

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“Our lives feel so empty without you and Gigi,” she wrote of Kobe and their daughter Gianna. “I’ve been completely broken inside. As much as I want to cry, I put a smile on my face to make our daughters’ days shine a little brighter. I’m not the strong one, they are.”

Vanessa closed her post, “I love you now, forever, and for always.”

The Lakers legend died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with 13-year-old Gianna and seven others while traveling to a youth basketball game in Ventura County.

Monday — 8-24 on the calendar, the two numbers he wore during a 20-year NBA career — will be celebrated by the city of Los Angeles and Orange County as Kobe Bryant Day.

He played his entire career with the Lakers, helping the franchise win five championships while climbing to No. 4 on the league’s all-time scoring list.

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Dan Loumena

Dan Loumena has worked myriad jobs at the Los Angeles Times since joining the staff in 1996, including as a page designer, copy editor, assignment editor and web producer.

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