The stars pay tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant
Stars pay tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant
Last week, the world was rocked by the news that US basketball legend Kobe Bryant had been tragically killed in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven other passengers. The pair were on their way to a basketball game, where 13-year-old Gianna was expected to play while her father coached.
The helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. Gianna’s teammate, Alyssa Altobelli, 13; her mother, Keri, and father John; mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester; basketball coach Christina Mauser, and the helicopter’s pilot Ara Zobayan also died.
Fans around the world were devastated and celebrities paid emotional tributes to the 41 year old. Later that same evening, at the Grammy Awards – held at the Staples centre where the LA Lakers, Kobe’s former team, play – host Alicia Keys said, “We’re all feeling crazy sadness right now because earlier today, Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero. We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”
Friends of the dad of four posted tributes to him and his family online. David Beckham wrote, “It’s taken me hours to work out what to write and still my words won’t ever be enough to describe how I am feeling after the tragic loss of Kobe. This was one special athlete, husband, father and friend.”
Kim Kardashian wrote, “My heart is so heavy. No one should ever experience what the families involved are going through… Rest in peace, legend.”
And friend to the Bryant family, Jennifer Lopez, wrote to Kobe’s wife and childhood sweetheart Vanessa, “I am sending all of my love and praying for you, your children and the other families involved in today’s tragic turn of events.
“The most unfair thing in life is to lose a child and husband on the same day.” ■
‘We’re feeling crazy sadness right now’