Kobe Bryant Dies In Helicopter Crash In California

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Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash. He was just 41 years old.

UPDATE: TMZ reports that Bryan’s eldest daughter, Gianna Maria Onore, aka GiGi, was also on the helicopter. They were reportedly headed to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice.

TMZ reports that the NBA legend and all the passengers in the helicopter died when it went down in Calabasas on Sunday morning (Jan. 26).

ESPN, Sports Illustrated and ABC have also confirmed Bryant was aboard the copter. Per the LA Times, the crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m.

Reportedly, Bryant was traveling with at least 3 other people via his private helicopter. A fire broke out making it difficult to reach the site and despite emergency personnel responding, no one survived. Although five people are confirmed dead, Bryant’s wife Vanessa is not one of them.

Besides Vanessa, Bryant is survived by three daughters—Natalia, Bianca and Capri. Their sister Gianna was 13.

Bryant had recently been spotted at games with Gianna, who he also coached.

Bryant’s last IG post was to big up LeBron James for passing him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Rest in power Kobe Bean Bryant. Our condolences to the Bryant family during this devastating time.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Speculation is that it was weather-related since it was a foggy morning.

This story is still developing.

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