Vanessa Bryant issues first statement following death of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna
Kobe won an Oscar for his short animated film Dear Basketball
The whole world was in shock after hearing the tragic demise of Kobe Bryant and eight others in a helicopter crash. Tributes poured in from around the globe, as sporting icons and celebrities paid their respect to the former Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant released a statement later on through her Instagram account on the passing of her spouse and daughter Gianna, who was also one of the passengers in the helicopter.
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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. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. 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. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. 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. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️
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Vanessa began by thanking the fans for their prayers and thoughts. She said, "My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time."
Vanessa talks about how shocked she was and taken aback by the accident. She said:
"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. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately."
Vanessa and Kobe meet when the latter was still in high school. After she turned 18, Kobe proposed. The two got married in 2001.
She then asked the fans to respect their privacy during this trying time, "Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality."
Vanessa mentioned about setting up a fund for the families that were affected by this tragedy and that Mamba Sports Foundation has set up a fund called "MambaOnThree", where all the proceedings will go to the other families affected by this tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bryant family and all the other families affected by this accident.
