Kobe's widow Vanessa Bryant breaks silence, posts emotional message on Instagram

Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa has broken her silence and made her first public statement since the tragic helicopter crash that killed her husband and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

The wife of the basketball legend posted a family portrait on Instagram with a long, emotional message.

 

 

 

 

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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 thanked the millions of people who have shown the grieving family support and love "during this horrific time."

"There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now," she said. "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."

Vanessa also asked that the public respect their privacy as they "navigate this new reality."

"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," she wrote.

"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," she added.

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She also mourned the deaths of the other victims of the crash, and revealed that the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up a fund to help support the other families affected by the tragedy.

Aside from Kobe and Gianna, seven others were killed in the accident.

The helicopter was headed to Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Gianna was set to play a basketball game.

—Margaret Claire Layug/JCB, GMA News