Voices of the People: Kobe Bryant Remembered Voices of the People: Kobe Bryant Remembered

Four-time NBA champ John Salley looks back on his brief stint with the Lakers and spending time with young Kobe Bryant.

“You’ll be missed, King and Princess...” It’s a line in a song by recording artist Yung Muusik in honor of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. As fans grieve the loss of the late Laker great and all eight on board a chopper that crashed Sunday, artists are sharing their grief through the arts.

Yung Muusik, who is still building his music career, was attending the Grammys when he got the news of the crash. He is one voice in a series of Angelinos reflecting on this tragic loss.

STAY CONNECTED




Christine on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineDevineTVNewsAnchor




Christine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DevineNews




Olympic & Bundy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olympicandbundy




Olympic & Bundy Twitter: https://twitter.com/OlympicAndBundy




Olympic & Bundy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olympicandbundy

Quote:  "From the first day we received the horrible news of Kobe passing away, I have been receiving request for Kobe portraits," Juan Urieta - Sketch Artist
  
Juan Urieta is a sketch artist on the rise. His sketch of Kobe Bryant has been in demand from friends moved by the death of the NBA great. Juan is a die-hard sports fan, and an immigrant success story. He works in the auto sales industry but never abandoned his love of art. 

Working in the arts, Urieta once did airbrush work for Harley Davidson working on custom bikes. He is now living the dream of having his own studio space and art gallery, OOAK (one of a kind) gallery in the downtown Santa Ana artist district.

 

Instagram: @Juan_Urieta_Lopez 

Quote: "I'd been trying to sing the national anthem for the Lakers for three years. In 2016 I got the call. Kobe Bryant had just announced he was retired from the Lakers. My whole body was elevated," - Ranella Ferrer.

 

Ranella Ferrer was born and raised in the Philippines. She is a known National Anthem Singer at Los Angeles top venues, but the Lakers were her first. Ranella was a Kobe Bryant fan and had studied his words of inspiration. Despite being self-conscious about her weight, this singer seized the opportunity to open a 2016 game with the National Anthem. It was Kobe's retirement year. Ranella would go on to appear on Khloe Kardashian's "Revenge Body" reality show, and lives the Mamba Mentality.

 

Ranella Ferrer, first Professional National Anthem-2016: https://youtu.be/gcK7TbvQMZs

With it being the one month anniversary this week of the passing of Kobe Bryant, a bishop shares his thoughts on moving forward after the memorial service.

 

As part of my podcast series Voices of the People: Kobe Bryant Remembered we sit down with Bishop Craig A. Worsham of the Agape Church of Los Angeles in Baldwin Hills.

 

He recalls being in mid-sermon when he got the news of the helicopter crash. It turned into a sermon of healing and togetherness. He answers the question, “Is there a God?” 

 

He celebrates Kobe Bryant as a father and praises the strength of Vanessa at the celebration of life memorial at Staples Center.

Quote: "Let's pray for all that are left behind, most of all to deal with the pain.

Marcia Arreola is a woman who knows the pain of losing a child. Her 19-year-old son Jonathan was killed in a single-vehicle accident.  Marcia and her daughter Amanda share their story of living through grief and channeling that grief into helping others.

In her social meeting postings, she had Kobe Bryant's parents in mind, as well as Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow, who also lost a child, Gianna.

 

Marcia became a grief counselor and recently founded Jonathan's Giving Tree. By providing assistance to families during the grieving process she strives to provide hope, encouragement, and understanding to begin the healing process of losing a child.

It has taken her 15 years to get here. It took all this to see how the loss affected Jonathan's dad and his 2 younger sisters. She understood that the death of a child is a mental health issue that affects the whole family in a way that only those who have experienced the loss can understand.

This episode is in honor of the families of all nine onboard the helicopter that crashed: John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan.