Ellen DeGeneres breaks down in tears as she pays emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant

Ellen DeGeneres pays tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant and breaks down in tears during her emotional monologue

Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a tragic helicopter crash and their sudden demise sent shockwaves around the world. The NBA legend was loved and adored by millions of people and his legacy will always live on for decades to come. Several politicians, celebrities, sportsperson and fans alike poured their condolences on social media and their family is grieving the loss of two members who meant the world to them.

During yesterday's show, Ellen DeGeneres had a long and emotional monologue where she broke down in tears while paying tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. She stressed on the fact that life is short and fragile and we all have a duty to embrace life every day with our loved ones, as we never know when would it be our last time with them.

Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres was blasted on Twitter for Usain Bolt meme Reuters

Ellen DeGeneres breaks down in tears

Paying tribute to the basketball legend Kobe Bryant, Ellen DeGeneres started off saying, "Thank you for being here today. I appreciate it today more than ever, more than I did yesterday, and tomorrow, tomorrow I will appreciate it more than today because life is short. I've mentioned before that we tape the show in advance and we taped yesterday's show last week.''

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison

She further continued, "We got tragic news about Kobe Bryant and everything changed in a second. That's what I want to talk about. Life is short and it's fragile. And we don't know how many birthdays we have. We don't have to have a birthday to celebrate, just celebrate life. And If you haven't told someone you love them, do it now. Tell people you love them. Call your friends. Text your friends. Hug them. Kiss them. Be nice to people at the DMV. They're people!" Ellen explained while in tears.

"I love each and every one of you...And I know that I'm lucky to have a wife who loves me so much, even though I don't have a Grammy," she said trying to add a little humour to her monologue while she summed up the tribute.