January certainly hit everyone hard with the tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others during a helicopter ride in Los Angeles. In the days after his passing, those close to Bryant flooded social media with posts reflecting on fond memories with the retired basketball player and dedications to his life.
Brian McKnight used his talents to share a touching tribute to the nine people who were killed on the helicopter. The singer, who said he refuses to take credit for writing the song because it wrote itself, shared a song titled "Can't Say Goodbye."
In a video posted on Instagram, the singer sung the lyrics as he played along with his acoustic guitar.
The song carefully finds ways to say "goodbye" to the late legend without saying the words "goodbye."
"We may not know the mysteries of life. How a candle blows out while it was burning so bright. We'll say so long, but we can't say goodbye," the singer crooned. "We'll say au revoir, but we can't say goodbye."
McKnight wasn't the only artist who used music to honor Bryant. Lil' Wayne, who released an album on Friday, included a moment on the album dedicated to the 41-year-old, according to iHeartRadio.
The helicopter crash happened just four days before Wayne was scheduled to release his 13th studio album Funeral. The rapper decided to make a last-minute change to the album, inserting a 24-second moment of silence on the eighth track.
The eerily titled album also has 24 songs.
"That right there, I have to thank my big brother Mack. You know that was an idea he called me with right then and there. A day later, he called me with this idea he thought of and of course, I confirmed it, I agreed with it," Lil' Wayne said.
The numbers eight and 24 were both of Bryant's jersey numbers when he played on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant's wife has been moved and inspired by all of the tributes for her husband and daughter. So much so, she's requested to receive the items left behind at the makeshift memorial outside of the Los Angeles Lakers' Staples Center.
President of the Staples Center Lee Zeidman said among the items collected at the memorial were 1,353 basketballs, according to NBC News. Fourteen banners, 25,000 candles, 5,000 letters and 500 stuffed animals were also among the items collected outside of the center.
Zeidman said the flowers collected will be made into mulch and spread throughout the landscaping around the Staples Center.
