LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Vanessa Bryant, widow of Kobe Bryant, has broken her silence for the first time since the horrific helicopter crash that took the lives of the former NBA superstar and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna on Sunday.
In an in-depth note posted to Instagram Wednesday, Bryant said: “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.”
Bryant added: “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.”
She went on to offer her deepest sympathies to the families of the other seven individuals who also died in the crash Sunday saying she and her family are “devastated” for them and “share in their grief intimately.”
In the post, Bryant also thanked the public for “sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us,” and requested that “you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”
Vanessa and Kobe were married in 2001. They shared four daughters Natalia (17), Gianna (13), Bianka (3) and Capri (7-months).