Housewife of Atlanta Pal: Kandi Staying "Strong" Since Ex-Fiancé's Death

Just days after Ashley "A.J." Jewell's death, friend of grammy winning songstress lets us know how she's doing

We're happy to report that Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss is holding up OK these days.

As most know, the 33-year-old's former fiancé, Ashley "A.J." Jewell, died earlier this month following a fight outside an Atlanta-area strip club. His funeral was held on Friday in Georgia.

"She's doing much better," Burruss' former Xscape bandmate and close pal Tameka "Tiny" Cottle told us last night at Philippe West Hollywood for the celebration of Kobe Bryant's L'Uomo Vogue cover. "She's a strong girl."

"I speak to her every day," she said "I go and visit her. I went to the funeral. Whenever she needs me, I'm there."

But Cottle has some drama of her own, in the form of her baby-daddy, rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris.

T.I, who is not only Cottle's boyfriend but also the father of her two sons, has been locked up since May, over a 2007 felony weapons charge.

"We talk all day and email each other," Cottle said. "I see him every week, and I'm just there, ya know? We work as a team."

—Reporting by Dahvi Shira