Vanessa Bryant Breaks Her Silence Following the Death of Kobe & Gianna Bryant: "They Were Taken From Us Too Soon"

For the first time since the sudden, devastating helicopter crash that took the lives of nine people Sunday morning in Calabasas, Vanessa Bryant has finally broken her silence and leaves a heartfelt statement on her Instagram page.  Vanessa writes:

“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.  We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.  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.  I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.  Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B77K8XWDY7O/

Earlier this afternoon, Vanessa changed her Instagram profile photo in honour of her late husband, Kobe, and daughter Gianna aka GiGi.

Kobe and Vanessa married in April of 2001 – Kobe, at the time, was 22 and Vanessa was 18.  The couple were together for almost 20 years and together, and share four daughters – Natalia (17), Gianna (13), Bianka (3) and Capri (7 months).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ZkA7aHCq3/

According to PEOPLE, a source says, “Vanessa can hardly keep it together.  She can’t finish a sentence without crying.  But she is working very hard to pull it together for the other girls.  She now has to be the strong one.  Of course, you can never be prepared for this.  Despite their ups and downs, Vanessa and Kobe were soulmates.  She thought of him as her partner for life.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4TT0tEn_uJ/

In case you’re not familiar – Kobe, Gianna and seven other people were all victims in Sunday’s devastating helicopter crash, which happened around 10am in Calabasas, California.  As the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief confirmed, “All survivors were determined to have been perished.”

The victims include: Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, his wife Kerri Altobelli and their daughter, Alyssa Altbelli, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton Chester and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B72QOFnFET6/

Out thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their lives during this horrific event.