“Dear Lord, please cover Vanessa [Bryant] and her family,” Ayesha Curry, 30, captioned a Jan. 27 Instagram post of the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, 13. In the morning hours of Jan. 26, Kobe, his daughter, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. The wife of NBA star Steph Curry, 31, was racked with grief, especially when thinking the toll this tragedy was taking on Kobe’s wife and Gigi’s mother. “Sending infinite prayers. My heart aches for her and the girls.”
“I’ve written and deleted [this post] 100 times today,” Ayesha added, explaining why it took her a while to break her silence. It appears she couldn’t find the appropriate thing to say in the wake of this horrible accident. “I have no words, and they’re never going to come out the way I want them to. Praying for peace and protection over this family and other families involved. Rest In Peace and power, Gigi, and Kobe.”
Ayesha joins the endless number of tributes that came pouring in after Kobe’s death. Ayesha’s husband shared his own love for his fellow NBA icon. “A lot of questions right now. Our faith is being tested…but all I can say is thank you,” wrote Steph. “May you and Gianna rest easy!” LeBron James, 35, was reportedly left in tears after learning the news of Kobe’s death (which happened one day after LeBron passed Kobe on the NBA All-Time Scoring list.)
“There [are] no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother @kobebryant,” wrote Kobe’s friend and former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, 47. “I love u, and u will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board.” Other stars from across the sports world honored the “Black Mamba,” from Tom Brady to Deion Sanders to Tiger Woods.
It wasn’t just the sports world that mourned Kobe. The music industry paid tribute to him throughout the 62nd Grammy Awards on Jan. 26. Alicia Keys, 39, opened the show with a heartfelt duet with Boyz II Men, singing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday.” Kobe tributes were made throughout the night, from DJ Khaled shouting Kobe’s name to Lil Nas X performing “Old Town Road” with a Kobe jersey on the set.
“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,” tweeted President Barack Obama hours after the news broke. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”