Kobe Bryant

Vanessa Bryant Breaks Silence on Instagram, Sharing Condolences for Other Families

Vanessa Bryant, days after a Sunday helicopter wreck claimed the lives of her husband of nearly 20 years and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, and her daughter, she was sharing her condolences with the other families affected by the tragedy via Instagram.

The early morning crash that left debris scattered on a space the size of a football field on a Calabasas hillside was still being investigated Wednesday.

"My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time," Vanessa wrote via the social media platform. "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."

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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

She continued, "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."

She also said the Mamba Sports Foundation set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support families affected by the horrific helicopter wreck. The link appeared to be down mere minutes after the Instagram post, likely from the amount of people trying to access the site.

Authorities Wednesday were in a debate over whether the helicopter Kobe and the eight other victims aboard should have had a Terrain Awareness and Warning System, or TAWS, would have sounded a voice alarm if the aircraft was in danger of hitting the ground or some object, such as a tower or a wire.

Just eight weeks prior to the shocking crash that left all nine aboard dead, Kobe Bryant posted a loving tribute to his "queen," sharing an image of the day they met on his Instagram.

Pictures: These are the Victims in the Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash

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