Vanessa Bryant has broken her silence to address the untimely death of her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna.
It was a moment that fans were anticipating but also dreading at the same time. After three days of silence, Vanessa Bryant made a public statement regarding the tragic death of her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Immediately following Sunday’s helicopter crash that took their lives along with seven others, Vanessa made her Instagram page private — a clear sign that she and her family needed privacy in their time of grieving. On Wednesday, the mother of four changed her profile picture to a photo of Kobe and Gianna just hours before making her page public and penning a message that brought most fans nearly to tears.
“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” she began under a beautiful family photo of herself, Kobe and their four girls. “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 went on to give her condolences to the families of the seven other victims: Ara Zobayan; Christina Mauser; John Altobelli, his wife, Keri Altobelli, their daughter Alyssa Altobelli; Payton Chester, and her mother, Sarah Chester.
“We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately,” she said. “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.”
Vanessa, who just gave birth to she and Kobe’s youngest daughter Capri last June, told the world that her family trying its best to move forward and honor Kobe and Gigi. “I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today,” she continued, “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.”
She ended her post by directing fans to resources where they can donate to the victims’ families as well as Team Mamba, the team that Gianna, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester were apart of. The group was on their way to a basketball game when the helicopter went down Sunday morning. Fans, friends and fellow celebrities immediately flooded the comments with words of encouragement and an outpouring of love towards the Bryant family.
We will continue to pray for Vanessa Bryant as well all of the families affected by this tragedy!
