Ellen DeGeneres broke down in tears, as she paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on her talk show.
On January 26th, the former NBA player died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven other people.
Ellen was celebrating her 62nd birthday when she found out about the crash, and the comedian recorded the latest episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show the next day.
During an an emotional monologue, Ellen spoke about attending the Grammy Awards on Sunday, and said, “Yesterday was supposed to be a celebratory day, and then we got tragic news about Kobe Bryant, and everything changed in a second.”
Holding back tears, Ellen said: “Life is short and it’s fragile. And we don’t know how many birthdays we have. We don’t have to have a birthday to celebrate. Just celebrate life.”
“If you haven’t told someone you love them, do it now. Tell people you love them. Call your friends. Text your friends. Hug them. Kiss them.”
“I know that I’m lucky to have a wife who loves me so much, even though I don’t have a Grammy,” she joked. “I get to come to work every single day with people who make me laugh. I love everybody I work with.”
Kobe, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were two of nine victims who tragically died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Calabasas, California.
The group were on their way to a youth basketball game in Thousand Oaks when the helicopter crashed amid foggy conditions.
