(AP)
Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, at 41-years-old.
TMZ has also confirmed that his eldest daughter, Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant, was also killed in the accident. She was just 13-years-old.
(AP)
According to TMZ, the pair was traveling to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. They were among at least five people confirmed dead in the accident, including another player and parent. Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, is not thought to be among them.
Bryant has long traveled from place to place via his own private private helicopter.
TMZ obtained the dispatch audio in which you can hear the operator directing emergency personnel to the crash scene. The video below is via TMZ.
Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa. Together, they have four daughters — Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and their newborn Capri. Kobe and Vanessa have been married since 2001.
Eyewitnesses reported to TMZ that they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down. Flames and smoke were reportedly covering much of the scene from the wreck. The official cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
