Kobe Bryant's wife posts heart-felt message, thanks millions of fans for support

WION Web Team

Los Angeles, United states of AmericaUpdated: Jan 30, 2020, 12:54 PM IST

FILE PHOTO: 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party – Arrivals – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 – Kobe Bryant holds his Oscar for Best Animated Short, with wife Vanessa. Photograph:(Reuters)

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Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant is said to be 'numb' and 'heartbroken' after receiving this tragic news.

Former NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gianna's untimed death shook the whole world. He and his daughter along with seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Sunday morning. The crash took place into a hillside in Calabasas, Califonia. The impact of the crash broke the chopper into pieces, debris created due to the crash stretched from about 500 to 600 feet.

Also read: NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, among 9 killed in a chopper crash in California

Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant is said to be 'numb' and 'heartbroken' after receiving this tragic news.

Also see: Basketball champion Kobe Bryant: His life in pictures

She made her first public statement through a heartfelt message in the first Instagram post since the crash.

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

She had made her Instagram page private after the crash but on Wednesday it was public again. She had a new profile picture on it and gained almost 2 million followers. In the new profile photo, Kobe Bryant is seen hugging her young daughter Gianna. The picture was taken on February 14, 2016, before Bryant's final NBA All-Star Game.

In a recent investigation, it turned out that Kobe's chopper was missing an essential warning system which could have helped to avoid the crash.

Kobe married Vanessa in the year 2001, he succeeded by his wife and three daughters.