On Sunday, Jan. 26, Kobe Bryant, a former player for the National Basketball Association, and his daughter, Gianna, passed away due to a helicopter crash. Along with Kobe and Gianna, Alyssa, Keri and John Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan also passed away.

Bryant passed away at the young age of 41, leaving behind his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters. Kobe and Vanessa’s oldest daughter, Natalie, was born in 2003 and turned 17 just over a week before her father’s passing. Their second-youngest daughter, Bianka, was born at the end of 2016, and their youngest daughter, Capri, was born on June 20 of 2019. Less than a week after his passing, Vanessa took to Instagram to write a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported them in their troublesome time.

That Sunday morning, as Kobe and his daughter were attending an early-morning mass, the pilot of the helicopter was getting special permission for their flight over California. Bryant and the others in the helicopter were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy, which is a joint business that Bryant was associated with, for a basketball game that Gianna was scheduled to play in at noon. Bryant and Mauser were the coaches of Gianna’s basketball team. During their time of flight above Los Angeles, heavy fog created a dangerous flying situation and with less than 13 miles till reaching their destination in Thousand Oaks, California, the helicopter crashed in the Calabasas area. Before the helicopter crashed, it is said that the helicopter went off the radar and within five minutes 911 had been called.

Kobe became the youngest player in the NBA after entering fresh out of high school at age 17. Bryant played for the NBA a total of 20 years, all of them being with the Los Angeles Lakers. During his NBA career, Bryant won a total of five titles, for two of them he was accompanied by Shaquille O’Neal. In 2008, he was also awarded by the NBA for being the Most Valuable Player. Following his retirement from the NBA, he was guaranteed a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since Bryant passed before his acceptance into the Hall of Fame, rumors have spread that his wife and family will accept the award in his honor.