Victoria Beckham has paid a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning. The former Spice Girl penned an emotional message on Instagram, alongside a picture of Kobe and Gianna with halos above their heads, and wearing their basketball shirts. Victoria wrote: "This tragic loss struck us hard as a family. Kobe Bryant was an incredible figure on and off the court, a friend to David and determined to inspire the next generation. The loss of a daughter and husband is unthinkable for any parent and wife. David, myself and our family send all our love to Vanessa, the other girls and the families of those that were tragically lost with Kobe yesterday."
Victoria Beckham posted a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna
The fashion designer's husband David Beckham also paid his respects to Kobe and Gianna on his Instagram account. He wrote: "It’s taken me hours to work out what to write and still my words won’t ever be enough to describe how I am feeling after the tragic loss of Kobe. This was one special athlete, husband, father and friend. Having to write these words is hard enough but also knowing we have lost an amazing human being and his beautiful and talented daughter Gianna is heartbreaking. The commitment Kobe showed to his sport was inspiring, to go through the pain and to finish a game off like only he could inspired me to try to be better. Sometimes I would only go to games just to watch that clock go down to the last 2:00 minutes knowing that we were about to witness something special." Reflecting on Kobe's dedication to his family,
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Kobe and Gianna were among the nine victims killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning
David added: "Kobe always talked about Vanessa and his beautiful girls and how proud he was of them. Kobe’s passion was his family and basketball. He was determined to inspire the next generation of boys and girls to embrace the sport that he loved. His legacy will live on. My family’s love and prayers go out to Vanessa and the girls, to Kobe’s basketball family, and of course to the families of those who were tragically lost with him yesterday.."
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Kobe and Gianna were travelling in a private helicopter on Sunday morning when it came down and burst into flames. They were two of the nine people on board, and the LA county sheriff has confirmed that there were no survivors. Along with tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars, Kobe's tragic death was remembered at the Grammy Awards, which were held at the Staples Centre, the Los Angeles Lakers' stadium, on Sunday night.
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