Vanessa Bryant breaks her silence after the death of Kobe and Gigi
'They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.'
January 30, 2020 10:11 a.m. EST
February 2, 2020 4:10 p.m. EST
Less than a week after a helicopter crashed claimed the lives of her husband, daughter, and seven other people on board, Vanessa Bryant has broken her silence. The grieving widow and mother shared an emotional post on Instagram thanking people for their outpouring of support and delivering a heartfelt message to her late husband Kobe and 13-year-old daughter Gianna.“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” writes Bryant, who on Sunday found herself as a single mom to her daughters, ages 17, three, and seven months.Bryant said that she and her daughters share in the grief of the other families who also lost their loved ones in Sunday’s crash. “There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon,” says Bryant.[video_embed id='1887237']RELATED: Athletes and broadcasters get emotional following Kobe Bryant’s death[/video_embed]Thanking fans for their condolences and asking for privacy at this time, Bryant also added that she has set up the MambaOnThree foundation to help raise money for the families of the other victims who died in Sunday’s crash. She also hopes to continue Kobe and Gianna’s legacy through the Mamba Sports Foundation.Bryant’s pain is palpable throughout her message, but hits hardest near the end of the tribute. “I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them,” writes Bryant. “But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, or Gigi, were flying to a basketball game for Gigi’s team The Lady Mambas on Sunday when their helicopter encountered fog. Pilot Ara Zobayan requested special permission to fly through the fog when he hit a cloud layer. John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter Alyssa, a teammate of Gigi’s, as well as Sarah Chester and daughter Payton, another teammate, were on board, along with assistant coach Christina Mauser. All nine passengers were killed in the crash, which happened around Calabasas in California.Since retiring from his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, Bryant had devoted more of his time to his growing family, which included coaching Gigi’s basketball team. The promising young athlete was honoured by the UConn basketball team on Monday, where Gigi hoped to play after graduating high school.
