According to the Daily Mail on January 28, basketball superstar Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in the crash, and his heartbroken father made his first appearance. Neighbors mourned Kobe's death.
Bryant's father, Joe Bryant, also affectionately known as Jellybean, is a 65-year-old retired NBA star. After the incident, someone photographed him walking out of his home in Las Vegas for the first time.
Neighbors told the Daily Mail that Joe and his wife Pamela's life had changed drastically after Kobe's death.
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "The family is in a state of extreme grief, unwilling to talk about this tragedy, and has been mourning for Kobe Bryant in private. ”
He said: "I spoke to them twice yesterday and brought some food to them. You should be able to imagine how sad they are. I had just chatted with Joe for a while the day before, and we went out for a walk together, had a nice chat, and everything was a pleasure. But over the next 24 hours, their lives changed dramatically. ”
"Joe and Pamela, the couple, are very close to their daughters Shakira and Shaya, who live in Las Vegas, and the family has always been harmonious. They stayed here yesterday and this morning. I can't imagine how they feel right now. ”
Earlier on Monday, Bryant's former coach Wayne Sreppy said in an interview with the Daily Mail that Bryant's family was grappling with the "black hole" that Kobe's death had left in their hearts.
The 67-year-old basketball coach, who has been good friends with Joe for decades, said Bryant's family now feels empty.
He said, "Kobe's family misses him more than you think." He grew up in an environment where his family loved each other. ”
After Bryant's death, the Kobe family now has his wife Vanessa, his 17-year-old daughter Natalia, 3-year-old Bianca, 7-month-old Cabri, and his parents and sisters Shakira and Shaya.
Srepi said that despite the deep differences between Kobe and his parents in his early life, their family bond remained strong and Bryant's relationship with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna was close.
According to the Daily Mail website, the father and daughter prayed together at a Catholic Mass at a local church a few hours before the helicopter crash. Bryant and 13-year-old Angela attended a ceremony at 7 a.m. at Newport Beach and both received Communion.
They then left the church and soon boarded an S-76 Sikorsky helicopter piloted by Ara Zobyan and headed to Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball training. At about 9:30 a.m., the helicopter crashed on a hillside near Cala Bassa. Nine people on board died.