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.
"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.
