– Vi er helt knust av det plutselig tapet av min elskelige mann Kobe – som var en fantastisk far for våre barn – og min skjønne og søte Gianna, en kjærlig, omtenksom og vidunderlig datter, skriver Vanessa Bryant (37) på sin Instagram-konto.

Se dette innlegget på Instagram

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. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️

Et innlegg delt av Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) Jan. 29, 2020 kl. 4:59 PST

Basketballegenden Kobe Bryant, datteren Gianna (13) og sju andre omkom i en helikopterulykke nordvest for Los Angeles søndag.

Helikopteret var på vei til Bryants Mamba sportssenter, der datteren skulle delta i en basketballturnering.

– Det er ikke ord nok for å beskrive smerten vi gjennomgår. Jeg trøster meg med at Kobe og Gigi begge visste hvor høyt elsket de var, skriver Vanessa Bryant, som har byttet bilde på kontoen til ett der far og datter klemmer hverandre.

– Vi var så utrolig velsignet over å ha dem i livene våre, og jeg skulle ønske de var her nå. Det er vanskelig å tenke seg livet uten dem. Men vi våkner opp hver dag og forsøker å gå videre, for Kobe og Gigi lyser veien for oss, skriver hun.

Vanessa og Kobe Bryant møttes for 20 år siden under en videoinnspilling, da hun fortsatt gikk på videregående skole. De ble forlovet i 2001 og giftet seg etter seks måneder. De fikk fire døtre sammen. Gianna var nummer to i søskenflokken etter Natalia (17), Bianka (3) og Capri, som bare er sju måneder gammel.