Kobe Bryant, 41, died after a helicopter he was on crashed in Calabasas, CA on the morning of Jan. 26, the city of Calabasas confirmed on Twitter. The professional basketball player was traveling with at least three other people on the private chopper, which belonged to him, when it went down and a fire broke out. Although emergency personnel responded to the scene, sadly none of the people on board survived
00:00Hey guys, it's Allie for HollywoodLife.com and it is with a heavy heart today that we are reporting on the tragic deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Gigi Bryant, and the seven other victims from yesterday's horrible helicopter crash.
00:16News broke in the afternoon that Kobe's helicopter that was headed to his Mamba Academy crashed in the Calabasas Mountains and there were no survivors.
00:23According to TMZ, weather may have been a factor considering it was foggy and even LAPD grounded their air support because of it.
00:30The site reports at one point the fog got so heavy that the helicopter changed directions towards a mountainous area and moments later flew into a mountain at 1,700 feet.
00:38In addition to Kobe and Gianna, John, Carrie, and Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah and Peyton Chester, and Aura Zeboyan were killed in the crash.
00:47Celebrity reactions immediately poured in, many praying and hoping the news not to be true.
00:51Barack Obama mourned Kobe on Twitter, writing Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful second act.
01:00To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents.
01:02Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.
01:08Kobe's former teammate and close friend Shaquille O'Neal shared his devastation with a series of photos of himself and number 24 and wrote,
01:14There's no words to express the pain I'm going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi and my brother Kobe Bryant.
01:20I love you and you will be missed.
01:22My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board.
01:26I'm sick right now.
01:28Shaq's son Sharif also posted a DM that Kobe sent him the morning of his death, just checking in on him and the family.
01:34I wish I didn't sleep in so I could have talked to you, he said in a heartfelt tribute.
01:37LeBron James was also seen sobbing while getting off the plane after playing the 76ers and surpassing Kobe as the NBA's third highest scorer of all time.
01:45The ballplayer cried into the arms of multiple people when deboarding the plane with his team and wiped his eyes multiple times.
01:51He's yet to make a public statement.
01:53Michael Jordan also shared a statement in which he said,
01:56In part, words can't describe the pain I'm feeling.
01:58I loved Kobe.
01:59He was like a little brother to me.
02:01More heartbreaking reactions came in from Hollywood and beyond.
02:03And at last night's Grammys, host Alicia Keys made sure to try to help us all begin to heal from the shocking loss.
02:09Here we are together on music's biggest night celebrating the artists that do it best.
02:13But to be honest with you, we're all feeling a little crazy sadness right now because earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole world lost a hero.
02:21And we're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built, Alicia told the crowd at the start of the show.
02:28Right now, Kobe and his daughter Gianna and all of those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirit, in our hearts, in our prayers, in this building.
02:35And I'd like to ask everybody to take a moment and just hold them inside of you and share our strength and our support with their families.
02:41She went on to sing a hauntingly beautiful version of It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday alongside Boys to Met.
02:47Throughout the show, a spotlight illuminated both of Kobe's retired jerseys in the rafters of the Staples Center.
02:52Kobe and Gigi are survived by Vanessa, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri.
02:56We are thinking of and praying for the families of all of the victims during this horrible time and urge you to do the same.
03:11We are thinking of and praying for the families of all of the victims during this horrible time and hope for the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of all of the families of the families of all of the families of all of the families of the families of all of the families of the families of the families of
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