N.C. casket maker honors Kobe Bryant, daughter with custom memorial
The memorial resembles the Staples Center where the Los Angeles Lakers play
A North Carolina casket maker drove across the country to hand-deliver a customized memorial for Kobe Bryant, his 13 -year-old daughter Gianna and the seven others who lost their lives nearly a month ago when their helicopter crashed in the hills of southern California.
Fletcher Collins, the owner of Glorious Custom Designs, embarked on his journey to Los Angles last week with what he calls his "masterpiece." The purple and gold memorial resembles the Staples Center where the Angeles Lakers’ legend made basketball history.
KOBE, GIANNA BRYANT HONORED AT STAPLES CENTER WITH PUBLIC MEMORIAL
"To show my love for the families that were affected, I personally drove it roughly 2,260 miles," Fletcher Collins told FOX Business Monday.
Last Tuesday, Collin’s unveiled his piece outside the arena about a week before droves of fans descended on the City of Angles to say farewell to Kobe and Gianna Bryant for Monday’s public memorial at the arena.
It was roughly two weeks after the fatal crash, which sent shockwaves worldwide, that Collins got a call from a friend of Kobe’s family who was familiar with his work asking if he could create a piece of art honoring the victims.
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“I don’t sleep. I work — slam through the night — trying to get it done in a timely fashion," Collins said. "I put it this way: I’ve got more than $13,000 in this build.”
Fletcher Collins - Facebook
Three and a half days after getting the green light, the structure spanning roughly 18 feet long, more than 3 feet in height and 44 inches wide, was complete. Donations from the community helped Collins foot the over $13,000 cost of the project. To show his appreciation, Collins added some of the names of those who donated to the memorial. Others remained anonymous.
KOBE BRYANT AND DAUGHTER GIANNA BURIED IN UNMARKED GRAVE
The memorial is covered in purple and gold and houses the images of each of the victims, including Bryant and his daughter. One side of the structure features the skyline of Los Angeles, where Bryant spent most of his two-decade career. Collins also inscribed the numbers 24, 8, 2 and 9 on the memorial. The numbers 8 and 24 reflect the numbers Kobe wore during his career and the number 2 represents his daughter's number at Harbor Day School in California. The number 9 represents the number of lives lost on Jan. 26.
Since 2013, Collins has worked on what he refers to as memorials or masterpieces in an effort to “put a smile on families hearts that will hopefully one day lead to their face," Collins said. Every creation not only reflects the energy and life of each person but they are made with the family in mind, he said.
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Collins, whose creations start at $1,500, previously made a piece for the 2007 crime film “American Gangster.” His contact for that job led him to this project.
So far, Collins intends to bring the memorial to Philadelphia before bringing it back to his showroom in North Carolina.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.