Retired American basketball player Kobe Brayant, 41 and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna died in an helicopter crash that claimed the lives of 7 others.
The 18-time NBA star, Kobe Bryant was said to be flying with his daughter and 7 others to Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.
According to TMZ, kobe was flying in his private helicopter when a fire broke out, sending the chopper spiraling from the sky.
Nine people died in the crash, including the pilot, said Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, during a news conference.
The other victims of the crash included John Altobelli, a longtime baseball coach at Orange Coast College, a junior college in Costa Mesa. Calif., as well as Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa, university officials said.
Kobe and Gianna are survived by his wife Vanessa and their three other daughters – Natalia, Bianca and Capri.
