Just three days after losing her husband Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant in a tragic helicopter crash, Vanessa Bryant broke her silence on social media, thanking the public for their support.
Wednesday, the grieving wife and mother unlocked her previously private Instagram account, giving the public access to dozens of photos of her family, and changed her profile picture to a touching photo of her husband and daughter embracing.
READ MORE: What Kobe Bryant’s death has taught me about how Black men mourn
Later that evening she also posted a gorgeous picture of her, the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar, and their four daughters, the late Gianna, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri who is only 7 months old.
“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,” the lengthy caption began. “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,” she continued. “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.”
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“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,” she concluded before informing followers that, “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.”
Fans were also encouraged to, “further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.”
The heartfelt message ended with several hashtags including #GirlsDad which has gone viral this week after ESPN anchor Elle Duncan shared a personal story about the first time she met Bryant back in 2018 and watched him gush about how proud he was to be a “girl dad.”
READ MORE: Kobe Bryant ‘girl dad’ viral clip inspires men to share father-daughter pictures
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