Vanessa Bryant Pays Tribute To Husband Kobe And Daughter Gianna

Vanessa Bryant has broken her silence for the first time since the tragic helicopter crash on Sunday which took the lives of her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna.

Vanessa took to Instagram to post a family portrait and to thank the "million of people who've shown support and love during this horrific time".

The basketball hero and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among 9 people who died on Sunday after the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in thick fog in Calabasas, California.

Others killed included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa who was a teammate of Gianna. The girls' basketball coach Christina Mauser was also among those who died.

Mrs Bryant said in a statement on her social media:

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.