NBA legend, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, were laid to rest in a private ceremony last Friday.
“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source tells ET. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”
The private Los Angeles funeral comes just two weeks after the pair—along with passengers Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and pilot Ara Zobayan—tragically passed away in a helicopter crash. At the time of the incident, the group were headed for a basketball tournament at Kobe’s Mamba Sport Academy.
Though the ceremony was held privately, a public memorial will be held on February 24 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, giving fans an opportunity to pay their respects. “We are one city that believes in each other, believes in something bigger than ourselves,” Mayor Eric Garcetti has said. “We will absolutely do everything to make sure that this is done so that everybody can come to it as well.”
Indeed, since the fatal accident, mourners worldwide have honored the NBA superstar and his legend-in-the-making daughter. “There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy,” Shaquille O’Neal shared. “I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW.”
Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant is always struggling to come to terms with this immense loss. “I’ve been reluctant to put my feelings into words,” the mom of four wrote on Instagram. “My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me. It feels wrong.”
Indeed, since the fatal accident, mourners worldwide have honored the NBA superstar and his legend-in-the-making daughter. “There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy,” Shaquille O’Neal shared. “I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW.”
Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant is always struggling to come to terms with this immense loss. “I’ve been reluctant to put my feelings into words,” the mom of four wrote on Instagram. “My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me. It feels wrong.”