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Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, Father to Kobe Bryant, Dead at 69, Vanessa Bryant Pays Tribute

Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant died on Monday after he suffered a stroke. He was 69.

Joe's death comes more than four years after Kobe, the NBA legend's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others were killed in a horrific helicopter crash on a foggy Sunday morning in Calabasas, California back in January 2020. Joe, who earned the nickname "Jellybean" for his fascination with the soft-chewy candy, was a 6-foot-9 star at La Salle University in Philadelphia, where he averaged 20.8 points and 11 rebounds per game in two seasons there. "I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant and join the basketball community in mourning a true Philly hoops legend," said Detroit Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, Kobe's former agent, via The Associated Press.

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