Tributes from all over the world and all walks of life continued to pour in during the last for retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26th along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others.
On Friday night (January 31st), during the second Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Guns N' Roses dedicated the song “Knockin' On Heaven's Door” to Bryant, with singer Axl Rose telling the crowd, “I want to dedicate this to Kobe and his daughter and everyone on the flight and everyone in the families and everyone impacted by this terrible event.”
As Guns performed the track, the gigantic video screen behind the stage cycled through a slideshow of images of Bryant and his family.
Meanwhile, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea — a longtime fan of Bryant and the Lakers — shared his memories about the basketball icon during a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Friday (January 31st).
Flea recalled, “I remember Kobe Bryant as person evolving — a person always evolving. And as such an iconic fixture of the L.A. landscape, he was someone we all loved.”
He continued, “Then he retires and we watch him evolve even more. He’s a storyteller — he’s putting out kids’ books. He’s coaching a girls basketball team and to see him go like this is just devastating (as well as the loss of) his beautiful little girl (Gianna).”
The Lakers also held a ceremony to honor Bryant during its game on Friday. Usher performed “Amazing Grace” and Boyz II Men sang the national anthem. Later, basketball star LeBron James gave heartfelt a speech to fans in attendance.
Finally, heavy rockers Beartooth have released a T-shirt with a large “B” in the Lakers' colors that looks similar to Bryant’s number eight jersey. One hundred percent of the proceeds are going towards the Mamba On Three fund, which will help support the families affected by the tragic crash.