Kobe Bryant (†)
2nd anniversary of the basketball legend’s death: This is how his family is doing today
Kobe Bryant († 41) leaves his wife Vanessa Bryant and the children Natalia (left), Capri and Bianka
© instagram.com/vanessabryant
On January 26, 2020, Vanessa Bryant’s world shattered into a thousand little pieces. Her husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash. Even two years after the catastrophe, the life of Vanessa and the three other children is a roller coaster ride.
When Kobe Bryant died in the tragic helicopter accident at the age of 41, his youngest daughter was just seven months old. Daughter Gianna, who was on her way to her team’s basketball game with her father that day, will only be 13 years old. Vanessa Bryant, 39, not only loses her husband, but also her child.
Shortly after the death, the widow decides to open her private Instagram account to the public. Since then, she has taken the approximately 15.3 million followers with her in her everyday life and revealed how she and her daughters Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 2, are trying to master life.
Gianna + Kobe Bryant: Widow Vanessa wants to be strong for her daughters
What becomes immediately clear: Vanessa’s greatest support is her girls – the other way around, the three children need their mother more than ever after the basketball player’s death. Natalia, Bianka and Capri’s smiles are slowly returning. Vanessa Bryant recently shared a photo from their skiing holiday together. On January 19, she congratulated Natalia on her 19th birthday with a mother-daughter selfie.
But in addition to the current pictures, the 39-year-old also keeps sharing memories of her late husband and her beloved daughter Gianna. Vanessa congratulates Kobe on his birthday, Father’s Day – the family also commemorates her daughter Gianna, who would celebrate her 16th birthday on May 1st, through posts, old video recordings and pictures. It’s a wound that will never heal and yet Vanessa Bryant knows she must move on; for their children and for Kobe and Gianna. “It comforts me to know that Kobe and Gigi knew they were loved very much. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. […] We wake up every day and try to keep going because Kobe and our little girl Gigi are showing us the way,” the 39-year-old widow said shortly after the accident.
Kobe + Gianna’s grave remains a mystery
But the grieving phase of the Bryant family and the wish that the “Lakers” player and his child rest in peace is broken again and again. Vanessa buried the two in an anonymous grave in Pacific View Memorial Park, a cemetery south of Los Angeles. The tombstone bears no inscription – to keep onlookers away from the resting place. But fans keep showing up, decorating a grave they think is Kobe Bryant’s burial place, laying flowers. The cemetery itself denies that this is the grave of the 41-year-old. “We are unable to provide any further details as to where they are located,” the official statement said.
How did the tragic crash happen?
The accident involving Kobe Bryant and the other eight occupants of the helicopter has long raised questions: Why did people have to die? Today we know that there was no technical defect in the machine. According to the final report, which runs to 1,852 pages, the most plausible explanation is that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, †50, “wanted to continue the flight in poor weather by sight and not by instrument assistance.” Due to the extreme fog, he lost his orientation and confused the steep flight with the descent. Instead of pointing at 1200 meters, the helicopter crashed into a mountainside at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour – there was no chance of survival.
Sources used: people.com, spiegel.de, instagram.com, bild.de