LAS VEGAS (KRON) – Kobe Bryant’s father was spotted for the first time since the news of his son and granddaughter’s death Sunday in Calabasas.
Kobe’s father, 65-year-old Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, was photographed collecting a large bouquet of flowers delivered to the Las Vegas home which he shares with Kobe’s mother Pamela, the DailyMail reports.
Kobe’s former coach and best friend of his father Joe, Wayne Slappy, told DailyMail that the NBA star’s family is struggling to deal with a “black hole” left by his death.
“Can you imagine a black hole? It’s empty, how do you fill it? They’re a close-knit family. He was 41-years-old, and then his daughter dies in an accident with him too,” Slappy said.
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and 7 others were killed in the helicopter crash. The group was on their way to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball tournament.
On Wednesday, Kobe’s wife Vanessa broke her silence on Instagram, saying she and her family are “completely devastated” and thanked the millions of fans who have shown support during what she called a “horrific time.”
“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” Bryant wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by a picture of her entire family. “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.”
Vanessa also announced the creation of a fund to help support the other families who were affected by the crash.
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