'I just can't let another second go by without letting you know.'
It seems the recent news of Kobe Bryant's tragic death has deeply affected another celebrity father. Rapper T.I. took to Instagram one day after the shocking deaths of Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna via helicopter crash to share a special message to his 18-year-old daughter, Deyjah Harris, and his stepdaughter, Zonnique Pullins.
"I love you girls more than my vocabulary will allow me to express," the 39-year-old rapper captioned a series of photos of himself with the two girls. "You have grown so much right before my very eyes & blossomed into strong, brilliantly opinionated, independent young women. I'm so proud of you both and I love you to no end, more than you'll ever know."
He went on to apologize, seemingly referencing the recent controversy surrounding his comments about Deyjah's virginity.
"Please forgive me for any and all imperfections that cause misunderstandings between us.... Charge my mind, not my heart," he wrote. "You see Life may throw us curveballs & deal us some pretty bad hands at times. But rest assured, you'll NEVER find yourself in a place too high or low for me to be there to catch you when you fall. I just Can't let another second go by without letting you know while we're still here in this life together.... You have ALL MY LOVE FOR ALL MY LIFE...&AFTER‼️ @princess_of_da_south @zonniquejailee."
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., did not specifically mention Kobe's death in his post, but the sentiment is implied, especially after many other stars including Lizzo, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel and more have credited the sudden loss with helping them to live in the moment.
T.I. also posted about Kobe's death on social media, writing, "LA is in pain & it will NEVER be the same again."
He also shared touching posts to his wife, Tiny, aka Tameka Cottle, his sons, Messiah, 19, Domani, 18, Clifford, 15, and Major, 11, and his 3-year-old daughter, Heiress.
"Despite all my shortcomings & transgressions the fact remains.... You Give me a thousand choices & I'd choose you every time," he wrote to Tiny.
Zonnique replied to her stepfather's post, writing, "I love you pops????."
Deyjah is still not following her famous father on social media after their public fallout this past fall.
It all began in early November when T.I. spoke on the Ladies Like Us podcast where he said he has "yearly trips to the gynecologist" with Deyjah "to check her hymen." The podcast episode was later deleted.
T.I. -- who shares Deyjah with his ex, Ms. Niko -- said that the yearly gynecologist appointment began after his daughter turned 16.
"Right after the birthday, we celebrate and then usually, like, the day after the party, she's enjoying her gifts, I put a sticky note on the door [that says,] 'Gyno. Tomorrow. 9:30,'" he said at the time.
He later appeared on Red Table Talk, where he apologized to his daughter for his comments, saying, "I came to clear up any misconceptions that have been surrounding how we interact and parent and what is appropriate and inappropriate. I think all of this surrounds a conversation I was having in a very joking manner. From a place of truth, I began to embellish and exaggerate and I think that a lot of people took it extremely literal."
He added, "I never said I was in any exam room. That was an assumption. That is a falsity. I never said it was being done present day as an 18-year-old... I never said that her mother wasn't present. Her mom was present."
Of his daughter, T.I. added, "She understands my intentions and she knows who I am. She knows who I’ve always been. And I think that that allows a certain level of understanding. The outside, the noise, it's distracting, it's confusing, it's hurtful and embarrassing."
For more on Kobe's sudden death, watch the clip below:
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