9 dead in helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant

(Image credit: Rachel Luna/Getty Images)

last updated 27 January 2020

There were nine people on board the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning, and all perished, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday afternoon. Legendary Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were on the helicopter, NBA officials confirmed.

Villanueva would not comment on the identities of the victims, saying it was "wholly inappropriate" to do so until next of kin are notified. He added that he would have "nothing" else to say on the matter until "the coroner does their job." Flight records show the helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B built in 1991, left John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, at 9:06 a.m., the Los Angeles Times reports.

As word of Bryant's death spread, fans began gathering outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, where the Lakers play. During his 20 seasons with the Lakers, Bryant was named an All Star 18 times, and he won gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Bryant retired in 2016, scoring 60 points in his final game. In 2018, he won an Academy Award for the animated short film Dear Basketball.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.