Following the shocking death of her husband and their daughter, Vanessa Bryant is speaking out. On January 26, the world fell silent when the news broke of NBA legend Kobe Bryant‘s death.
The hearts of the world broke again when it was revealed their 13-year-old Gianna “Gigi” Bryant was also on the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California. Kobe, Gigi, and seven others were traveling on the helicopter to an AAU basketball game.
Vanessa Bryant Speaks Out Days After Husband and Daughter’s Tragic Passing
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On January 29, three days after losing her husband and daughter, Vanessa took to her Instagram page to issue a statement to their fans.
She began, “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.”
Vanessa then continued, “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.”
The mom of four admitted that she’s “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.”
She added, “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.”
Vanessa then concluded, “Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me.”
The day after her initial statement was made public, a second statement was made on the Bryant family’s behalf. While talking with the Los Angeles Times, the president of Kobe Inc., Molly Carter, slammed the “media’s broad use of unnamed sources and blind quotes”:
“We are disappointed in some media’s broad use of unnamed sources and blind quotes, and remind everyone that the Bryant family will speak on our own behalf when appropriate. To this point, no one has been authorized to speak on behalf of the family regarding any personal details surrounding Sunday’s tragedy, including stories related to the family’s previous air travel decisions.”
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Carter concluded, “We ask members of the media for respect and responsible judgment during this difficult time. These inaccurate reports only add unnecessary pain to a grieving family.”
The other victims of the crash have been identified as Orange County baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa, and his wife Keri, assistant coach Christina Mauser, loving mom Sarah Chester, her daughter Payton Chester, and the pilot Ara Zobayan.