Vanessa Bryant is responding to the public outpouring of support for the first time since Sunday’s deadly helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
The NBA legend’s widow took to Instagram on Wednesday night, three days after the accident in Calabasas, Calif., with her first public comments since losing her 41-year-old husband and 13-year-old daughter. The post garnered nearly 525,000 likes in just 15 minutes.
“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.”
“… 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.”
Bryant said the family also is “devastated for the families who lost their loved ones” in the crash. She thanked the public for sharing its “joy, your grief and your support” with her family, asks people “grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”
