Nation In Mourning Over Sudden Death Of NBA Star Kobe Bryant, Daughter And Friends

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Since the helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA on Sunday, Jan. 26, claimed the lives of the nine people, many have come forth with heart-wrenching stories, tributes and salutations, honoring those that were lost.

Those that were taken on that day were:

• Christina Mauser, 38
• John Altobelli, 56
• Keri Altobelli, 46
• Alyssa Altobelli, 13
• Sara Chester, 45
• Payton Chester, 13
• Ara Zobayan, 50
• Gianna Bryant, 13
• Kobe Bryant, 41

In a Instagram post, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, wrote, “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.”

View this post on Instagram

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 ❤️

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST

In the same post she announced that the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up a fund to support the other families affected by the tragedy. You can donate to the fund by going to www.mambaonthree.org.

The scouting director of the Boston Red Sox, Paul Toboni also set up a fund for the Altobelli family. J.J. Altobelli, the son and stepson of John and Keri and brother to Alyssa, is a scout for the Red Sox. The GoFundMe has raised $280,055 as of publication for the family, with a goal of $500,000. You can donate to the fund by going to www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-altobelli-family.