Stephen Laine Biography (Vanessa Laine Bryant’s Dad) Stefan Lainer, & Family

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After Vanessa Bryant lost both her daughter and husband, she opened up in her first public address on 24th February. She spoke during the event, which contains her reflections on motherhood which stirred the feelings of everyone watching her speak and made them cry. It is publicly known that both Vanessa and Kobe cherished their daughters. But when they were together for 2 decades, both of them saw their relationships with their family brimming with drama. In her loss, Vanessa’s support is unquestionably Sofia Laine, her mother. Now, everyone’s attention is present on the whole of Vanessa’s family, especially her stepdad, Stephen Laine.

Quick Wikis

Real NameStephen Laine
BirthdayStephen Laine was born in 1949 (age 71 years, as in 2020)
BirthplaceUSA
SpouseSofia Laine (m. 1990–2002)
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityWhite
ProfessionRetired Inventory Officer
ParentsUnknown
Dating/GirlfriendSofia Laine
Married/WifeSofia Laine
DaughterVanessa Laine Bryant
IncomeUnder Review
Net Worth$200 Million US Dollars (as of 2020)

Who is Stephen Laine ?

Stephen Laine was born in 1949 in the USA. He is a retired American inventory manager in a food company. As of 2020, he is 71 years old. He follows Christianity, and his ethnicity is multiracial Caucasian.

Stephen became known to the outside world because of Vanessa Laine Bryant, his celebrity daughter. She is a well known former model and Instagram celebrity. Stephen did not support the marriage of Kobe and Vanessa and even called her a gold digger. He viewed her marriage to be a hasty decision because Vanessa was very young at that time.

On 26th January 2020, both his son-in-law and granddaughter Gianna lost their lives in a violent helicopter crash. Including the pilot, all 8 people found dead in the accident as per the police records.

Early life and childhood

He was born in 1949, and currently, he is 71 years old. Other than his parents were workers in a factory, not much is known about them. In his initial years, he struggled with several financial issues. No information is available about his siblings. But he did take some odd jobs for supporting them financially. He finished his schooling online.

Personal life, wife and children

Stephen Laine worked as a middle manager of a firm where Sofia was working. Sofia was 8 years senior to Stephen. That is where all things started. They got married and became the father of Vanessa. Though he is not her biological father, Stephen still gave her his love and support.

Before her marriage to Stephen, Sofia was a single mom with Vanessa and her elder sibling Sofie. Sophia got a divorce when Vanessa was just 3 years of age. In 1990, she got married again to Stephen laine. Stephen did not officially adopt Vanessa, but still, she legally changed her surname to that of her stepfather.

When Stephen got married, the daughters were 18 and 8 years old in 1990. Vanessa chose to go by her stepfather’s last name rather than using Cornejo, her biological father’s last name. Only during her high school years, she legally made changes in her name as Vanessa Laine.

The whole family in a house in Garden Grove, California. But they used the address of Stephen Laine’s dad’s Huntington Beach address so that Vanessa can go to stepdad’s alma mater. She went to Marina High School, along with Stephen’s nieces Laila and Sasha.

According to Laila and Sasha, Stephen and Sofia brought up their daughters in a sheltered home. Vanessa was able to escape her parents’ protective shell for a few moments, and this led to her to meet Kobe Bryant, an NBA star.

Because their relationship was fast-paced, Stephen was quite hesitant. Then Vanessa was just 17 years of age. His daughter got engaged to Kobe, and she was still in her senior year in high school. Kobe was 21 at that time, and because of their ages, Stephen didn’t agree with this idea. But he did attend their wedding in April 2002 that took place in Dana Point, California.

Due to money, Stephen Laine faced many problems in his life. This is because both the mother and the daughters had an expensive lifestyle.

Severe financial crisis

On Vanessa’s 18th birthday, Kobe announced his engagement. But at that time Vanessa’s family were going through a hard financial crisis. 2 years before the engagement, Vanessa’s mother, Sophia, quit her job. She also suffered from a back injury which did her search for a more suitable job hard.

Just a week after the announcement of the engagement, the Laine’s family went into bankruptcy. The relationship between Kobe and Vanessa made headlines which gave her fame that changed her life.

Financial aid to Laine’s family by Kobe

With severe financial losses, Sofia gave her statement in court that she needs and deserves support. On the other hand, her daughter Vanessa told in several documentaries that she is willing to support her with occasional gifts. But she will not do it monthly.

A tough divorce

Stephen and Sofia went through a tough divorce during Kobe’s rape charges. Stephen Laine and Vanessa’s mom went separate ways after nearly 13 years of marriage. This was tough on Vanessa because she was going through her husband’s public rape trial in 2003. Even in those circumstances, Sofia Laine continued to support her daughter. She displayed a tough spirit when she told the media that they don’t care what others talk behind them and have a strong faith.

In 2011, when Kobe and Vanessa were progressing towards divorce, Stephen Laine gave out some choice words which all over the media. He commented that Sophia taught her now-estranged stepdaughter well because she waited 10 years before divorcing. Under these circumstances, it gets considered a long term marriage in California. Additionally, she will get paid for life or until she again marries someone. He added that this is what Vanessa’s mother has done to him. An amount of 1,800 USD should be paid towards his ex-wife. His personal opinion was that if the divorce with Kobe proceeded, both Vanessa and her mom would be quite rich and he no longer needs to send the money.

After his divorce, Stephen Laine again got married and started to have a new family. He feels that the alimony could help her 6-year-old daughter for higher education.

In conclusion

One of the things that is not much known about him is that he is known for helping with community services work. But other than that, he never intended to get into the spotlight. While he was Vanessa’s father, he tried to be the best. Though their expensive lifestyle was causing problems, he did help out.

Though he has said some quirky statements to the media, he did his part as a father to Vanessa Bryant. He is still alive and strong being 71 years old. From his statements, we can still see that he still views Vanessa as his daughter.