Devastated By Kobe Bryant's Death, Rapper Backs Out Of Charity Event

KEY POINTS

Pitbull backed out of charity event performance
Pitbull devastated by Kobe Bryant's death
Steve Tyler's event pushed through

American rapper Pitbull backed out of a supposed performance at a charity event on Sunday night as he was greatly shattered by the passing of Kobe Bryant.

The hip-hop artist was scheduled to headline Steve Tyler’s annual private dinner and Grammy’s watch party in Los Angeles but he “was too heartbroken to take the stage,” TMZ Sports said.

Despite this, the event still went on as planned, thanks to singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw who filled the shoes left by Pitbull to be the main act of the fundraiser which aimed to support women who are victims of trauma caused abuse and neglect.

TMZ disclosed the details of the show, including the ticket prices that were sold at a relatively significant amount.

“DeGraw performed a couple of his big hits -- "Chariot" and "I Don't Want To Be" -- to give attendees their money's worth. Tickets weren't cheap at $2,500, after all,” the article revealed.

Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday at a hillside of Calabasas, California. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were also killed in the same accident. According to reports, Bryant and the rest of the group were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California when they crashed. He was supposed to coach Gianna and his team at a game in the tournament dubbed as the Mamba Cup Tournament Series.

The said academy was co-founded by Bryant in 2018 and serves as a training facility for young and amateur athletes.

Pitbull, a Florida-born artist, has made some of his hits an automatic track to several condensed NBA highlights. For instance, his song Timber was ultimately maximized by editors in multiple compilation of clips that featured the league’s biggest stars. In fact, in 2017, an article on Sports Illustrated said that the NBA needed more of the Grammy Award winner’s music to spice up the court competition.

“The NBA playoffs have been entertaining on the court, but there is something missing from the postseason stew. It needs more Pitbull,” the article said.