Kobe Bryant memorial: Alicia Keys plays 'Moonlight Sonata', which he learned for Vanessa, leaving her in tears
Alicia Keys took to the center stage at the Staples Center during the "Celebration of Life" to perform her take on Beethoven's immortal 'Moonlight Sonata,' said to be one of Kobe's and Vanessa's favorite songs.
Rob Pelinka, Kobe's former agent, had previously revealed how Kobe had shown a dogged determination to learn the song by ear even though he had no musical training whatsoever just because he wanted to impress Vanessa. Pelinka shared that, in the span of a week, Kobe went from not knowing the song at all to being able to perform it without any errors.
Keys played her rendition as the large overhead screen displayed pictures of Kobe and Vanessa together, with the camera showing many in the crowd wearing somber expressions.
She finished her performance by wiping away her tears and giving a salute to Vanessa, who couldn't stop crying throughout the performance.
Twitter, unsurprisingly, was raving over the moving performance. "The story behind Alicia Keys' tribute has me in tears," one wrote. "A love story and love whose depth is immeasurable."
"Watching these collage of Kobe and Vanessa pics as Alicia Keys plays one of their favorite songs, on top of the speech Vanessa gave earlier, is so heavy," another tweeted.
"Music can often perfectly encapsulate an emotion and I can't think of a better piece than the one Alicia Keys is playing to do just that," a third posted.
"I don’t think I’ve ever cried from watching someone play the piano until Alicia Keys 'Moonlight Sonata' today," said a fourth.
