Alicia Keys performs Beethoven at Kobe Bryant memorial

Alicia Keys paid tribute to Kobe Bryant with her musical skills this Monday.

The New York-born songstress took the stage to perform one of the NBA legend’s ‘favorite numbers’ during a celebration of life for the superstar athlete and his daughter Gianna in Los Angeles.

Keys, 39, donned a Lakers purple silk suit to perform a stirring rendition of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata backed by a small orchestra.

As she performed, she looked to the sky and folded her hands in prayer, remembering the athlete.

Alicia was heartbroken by Kobe’s passing, which she learned of just hours before ho-hosting the Grammys this past January.

Talking to Ellen DeGeneres, the Falling songstress said ‘Hearing the news about Kobe and his daughter was so tragic.’ 

‘…None of us can still believe it right now, to this day.
So, I think that it was definitely a crazy feeling because, literally minutes before, we were going to do something else and we had to really figure out how can we properly honor him in his house on this night [with] everybody who adores him and loves him so much and has been inspired by him and felt so devastated in that moment.

We couldn’t—you know, we had to properly do that.

Keys wasn’t the only A-lister to take the stage at the event, which was held at his longtime home-away-from-home, the Staples Center.

Beyonce looked to the heavens as she kicked off the day’s celebrations.

The pop star wore a golden suit as she gave passionate performances of her hits XO and Halo, supported by dozens of back up musicians. 

Looking skyward as she sang, she blew kisses into the crowd, where Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant sat with her family. 

‘I’m here because I love Kobe and this was one of his favorite songs,’ Beyonce shared with the huge crowd, asking them to sing along.

After Kobe’s death, Beyonce shared a tribute on social media, writing: ‘I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens.

You are deeply missed beloved Kobe.’ 

The sold-out service took place at the downtown arena where Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 17 seasons of his two-decade NBA career. Bryant and his daughter were among nine people killed January 26 in a helicopter crash.   

The concourse was a sea of people dressed in the team colors of purple and yellow and others in black.

On the scoreboard, the Bryant family´s life flashes by in pictures: truc tiep kqxs Bryant with his wife and Gianna, the whole family in costumes, Gianna on the court, baby pictures of Gianna and her father. 

The service began just hours after Vanessa Bryant sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in the fog last month.
The wrongful-death lawsuit claimed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.

At the arena, fans were given a program containing photos, a purple KB pin and a T-shirt with photos of the father and daughter.

The concourse was a sea of purple, gold and black clothing.  

The service will feature speakers reflecting on Kobe Bryant’s impact on his sport and the world, along with music and retrospectives on Bryant’s on-court achievements.

Bryant became active in film, television and writing after he retired from basketball in 2016.

Bryant’s family, dozens of sports greats and many major figures in Bryant’s public life were expected to attend. 

Money from ticket sales was to be given to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in underserved communities and teaches sports to girls and women.

Vendors sold flowers, Lakers scarves and commemorative newspapers and ca cuoc jerseys.

Buses drove up and down Figueroa Street with their signs lit up with ‘RIP KOBE.’ 

Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, who moved from the Forum to Staples Center when it opened in 1999. The five-time NBA champion’s two retired jersey numbers – 8 and 24 – hang high above the arena where he became the third-leading scorer in league history until Lakers star LeBron James passed him on the night before Bryant’s death. 

Bryant’s death caused an outpouring of grief across Los Angeles, where he remained the city’s most popular athlete into retirement.

Dozens of public memorials and murals have been installed around the sprawling metropolis, and thousands of fans gathered daily outside Staples Center to commiserate after the crash.

Symbolic meanings will run throughout the ceremony, which will be held on a 24-foot-by-24-foot stage.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, chose Feb. 24 as the date in honor of the uniform numbers of Kobe and Gianna, who wore No. 2 on her youth basketball teams.

A private funeral was held for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Orange County on February 7.