Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa has broken her silence following the death of her husband and daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The mother-of-four took to Instagram to share a statement with the world, beginning with: "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."
Celebs have since responded with words of support. Pal and fellow NBA wife La La Anthony wrote: "Love you deep V. Forever and always by ur side â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ðŸ™ðŸ½ðŸ™ðŸ½ðŸ™ðŸ½ðŸ™ðŸ½""
Ellen DeGeneres, who dedicated her Monday afternoon talk show to Kobe, penned: "There is so much love in the world for you right now. I hope you can feel it.â€
Vanessa, in her grief, is still carrying on the legacy of her philanthropic husband, ending her statement with a call to donate: "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."