Kobe Bryant Dies In Helicopter Crash
... Everyone On Board Dead
TMZ,
by
Staff
Original Article
Posted By: tisHimself,
1/26/2020 2:41:45 PM
Kobe Bryant died in a helicoper crash in Calabasas Sunday morning ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We're told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Kobe has famously used a helicopter to travel for years -- dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Enoch Powell 1/26/2020 2:46:37 PM (No. 298889)
Am I the only person in America who had to google his name to find out who the heck he was?
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 2:47:39 PM (No. 298890)
Four daughters, one born last June. Sad.
My grandson worshipped him...
29 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
bassman 1/26/2020 2:48:02 PM (No. 298892)
Tragic! Rest in peace Kobe.
25 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Peaches 1/26/2020 2:48:51 PM (No. 298894)
This is terrible. RIP.
23 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 1/26/2020 2:49:14 PM (No. 298895)
Rest In Peace Kobe. The best of the best has been lost.
21 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
NorthernDog 1/26/2020 2:52:12 PM (No. 298897)
That's a shocker. I don't see it reported anywhere else yet. Seems like a helicopter goes down somewhere every week.
9 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 1/26/2020 2:52:12 PM (No. 298898)
This is why friends don't let friends fly in helicopters... way too many "single-point failures" in a helicopter. The only way to deal with the lack of back-up systems is through scheduled maintenance, which is very expensive, but can be deadly if ignored. High likelihood that the blade hit a power-line or some other obstacle, but it could well have been related to poor maintenance.
13 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 2:55:18 PM (No. 298902)
It just happened. Local Los Angeles Fox News on the scene and fire trucks arriving. The helicopter was said to be taking him from Newport Beach, where he and his family live, to Staples Center, in downtown Los Angeles. They were perhaps picking someone up or dropping them off in Calabasas, north of Los Angeles. The helicopter was said to have caught fire. There were 3 or 4 others on board.
8 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Hermoine 1/26/2020 2:55:23 PM (No. 298903)
So sad...four daughters, one of which was a newborn. So tragic.
13 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 2:56:14 PM (No. 298904)
Now local Fox is reporting that it happened about two hours ago.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 2:58:44 PM (No. 298907)
Very foggy there. Crash started small brush fire.
7 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
davew 1/26/2020 3:00:46 PM (No. 298912)
A shocking tragedy. Seems to have been confirmed by TMZ and Variety. The videos of Calabasas near the scene look like it was a very low ceiling with misty conditions and hills so I suspect the pilot may have flown below minimums and clipped something that caused the helicopter to catch fire and crash. It would surprise me if the aircraft just burst into flames for no reason as reported by the media and most of the early reports are unreliable anyway.
The irony is that just last night LeBron James passed Kobe as the third highest scorer in the NBA. Then this happens which is just tragic.
5 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 3:04:01 PM (No. 298917)
More from Fox TV: He was 41, retired in 2016. 18 time All-Star in the NBA; considered one of the greatest basketball players of all-time.
Since he retired he has spent his time working with children….
This is said to have been his personal helicopter. The notion that it was poorly maintained is highly unlikely. He travelled a great deal by helicopter.
9 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
Strike3 1/26/2020 3:08:13 PM (No. 298919)
Kobe was a super-talented hoops player and as an added bonus often used his skills and money to help others. A highlight of his early career saw him buying back his fiance with a million-dollar engagement ring after being caught in a one-night stand with a hotel maid. We all make mistakes.
7 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 1/26/2020 3:08:24 PM (No. 298920)
I just saw Kobe and LeBron James hugging each other after the 76ers/Lakers game last night after LeBron passed Kobe's scoring record. Those poor children. RIP, Kobe.
13 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
poliposter 1/26/2020 3:13:24 PM (No. 298923)
#14, one night stand? As I recall it was an assault on a 19 year old hotel employee. Let's not sugar coat rape.
12 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 1/26/2020 3:18:46 PM (No. 298926)
A national treasure, gone too soon. Comforting arms please surround Vanessa.
6 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 3:19:22 PM (No. 298927)
Re #16, assault was alleged, but he contended it was consensual and she would not go to court.
Nobody is sugar coating anything. He owned up to his part, although he believed it was consensual.
Do we really need this today?
21 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 3:21:10 PM (No. 298929)
(hit submit too soon)
When a young woman follows a man to his room, going through the service hallways and kitchen of a hotel to get there, one could think “consensual”…
7 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
earlybird 1/26/2020 3:21:44 PM (No. 298930)
“follows” was incorrect. Tracks was the word at the time.
4 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
Highlander 1/26/2020 3:23:26 PM (No. 298933)
I watched the Lakers when Kobe and Shaque were together. After Shaque left, I stopped watching, the magic diminished. I’m real sorry about Kobe’s demise.
0 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
PageTurner 1/26/2020 3:23:26 PM (No. 298934)
Sad. I once saw him in the parking lot at Santa Monica College. RIP
1 person likes this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
DaddyO 1/26/2020 3:25:44 PM (No. 298937)
Hate to speculate, but anytime a plane or helicopter goes down in heavy fog the first thing investigators think of is pilot disorientation.
3 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
Mekkkk 1/26/2020 3:39:28 PM (No. 298945)
No polemics, RIP!
6 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
Phantomll 1/26/2020 4:45:00 PM (No. 298976)
I remember when he played on the Olympic teams; besides being a great basketball player, he was a very patriotic American. RIP.
3 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
bgarrett 1/26/2020 4:52:16 PM (No. 298981)
Everyone On Board Dead. Sounds like everyone else was not as important
2 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
poliposter 1/26/2020 5:11:18 PM (No. 298987)
#18, she settled with an NDA. There was another woman who also made a similar claim but refused to testify. With responses such as yours, I can understand why should wouldn't want to testify . Do we need this today? I wasn't the one who brought it up, #14 did. But since you continued it, why don't you ask the young women who said he assaulted them how they feel today.
1 person likes this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
fayebeck 1/26/2020 5:11:32 PM (No. 298988)
#1 you are probably not the only one in America who had to google to find out who Kobe was. Disappointed? I have a feeling you knew who Kobe was and just want to let America know how brilliant you are. Jeez...some people just have to be "snarky".
4 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
caljeepgirl 1/26/2020 5:18:50 PM (No. 298992)
Just freakin' awful! Only NBA/pro BB player I ever really liked....what a waste......
1 person likes this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
Hermoine 1/26/2020 5:35:37 PM (No. 299001)
So awful, now reports say that his oldest daughter died in the crash with him, along with a friend, friend's parent and the pilot. His wife and 3 daughters must be in total shock.
3 people like this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
Heraclitus 1/26/2020 6:21:36 PM (No. 299030)
Oh dear, they have just announced on Fox that Kobe's eldest daughter, Gianna, was in the copter, too; and apparently 7 other people have died.
Very sad. It seems he was a good Dad and husband and friend and colleague. A decent man, a good man.
He leaves his wife and three daughters, one of which is around 7 months old. They need our prayers.
3 people like this.
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