Vanessa Bryant has changed her Instagram profile picture to one of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter, Gianna Bryant, after their tragic death.
In the photo, Kobe is looking down at Gianna as she reaches her arms out to him.
On Sunday (Jan. 26), Kobe, Gianna, and seven others were traveling by helicopter to a basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy.
Shortly after leaving Santa Ana, the helicopter crashed into a nearby mountain and many believe the heavy fog played a factor in the crash. There were no survivors.
Investigators have recovered all nine bodies from the scene and they have been transported to the department’s Forensic Science Center, where each body will be examined.
Since Kobe and Gianna’s death, Vanessa has privately been in mourning, as expected.
Friends of the Bryant family reportedly told People, that Vanessa can’t even finish a sentence without breaking down.
“It’s an extremely difficult and devastating time for Vanessa and the whole family. She can hardly keep it together,” the insider says. “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.”
The insider continued, “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.”
A second source says tells People that Vanessa “is surrounded by people who love her and love Kobe. She has a good support system. She is relying on her faith. She is not alone. But she will be grieving this for a very long time.”
Kobe is survived by his wife Vanessa and his three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. Let’s continue to send our thoughts and prayers out to the Bryant family.
Instagram // @vanessbryant