Kobe Bryant's Sisters Finally Speak Out About Their Brother's Death

The aftermath of the January 26, 2020 helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven other people has been difficult, to say the least. Fans all over the world are grieving the tragic loss, as are the families of the victims.

The deaths of Kobe and Gianna have left a hole in the lives of the Bryant family. Kobe left behind a widow, Vanessa, and three daughters: Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. Also surviving him are his parents, Pam and Joe, and his sisters, Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb.

Sharia and Shaya recently broke their silence on the tragic loss of their brother.

On January 31, Sharia posted about the loss on Instagram, signing off with both her name and Shaya's in the statement. 

"On behalf of our family, we join Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri in grieving the loss of Kobe and Gianna in such a tragic accident," they said. "We are devastated by the loss of our brother, son, our niece and granddaughter, and our hearts go out to all the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday. Our lives are forever changed. Thank you for your prayers, the numerous calls, texts, emails and cards."

In the statement, Sharia and Shaya also asked people to support MambaOnThree, a foundation set up through Kobe's Mamba Sports Foundation. The fund was originally announced by Vanessa Bryant in an Instagram post and was set up to provide assistance to the families of the seven other people who died in the helicopter crash: Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.

"Please visit MambaOnThree.org to support the families affected by Sunday's tragedy and to honor Kobe and Gianna's legacy, please visit: MambaSportsFoundation.org," wrote the sisters, adding, "#Mambacita #Mamba #Family #GirlsDad."

As the statement mentioned Giana as a granddaughter, it seems unlikely that Joe and Pam Bryant will be releasing a separate statement any time soon. Instead, it appears that Kobe's parents, with whom he had a troubled relationship, will be grieving in private. They were reportedly trying to patch things up with Kobe at the time of his death.

"Currently his parents are grieving deeply, but want to be there to support their grandchildren," a source told The Sun. "In the short term there is hope that the problems can be set aside for this moment — longer term nothing can be considered. But this is all up to Vanessa — and Lord knows what she is going through."

This is not the first time one of Kobe's sisters has addressed the tragedy. A few days before Sharia and Shaya released the statement, Sharia posted her own tribute to her brother on Facebook. On January 27, she posted a college of 10 images. The photos showed the Bryant family, including Kobe and Gianna.

While Kobe's sister did not post a caption, she did make the collage her cover photo on the social media site. That same day, she changed her profile picture to a simple black background, seemingly indicating that she is mourning the loss of her beloved brother and her niece.

It's clear that the loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant has forever changed the lives of the Bryant family. On January 29, Vanessa opened up about the tragedy in the same Instagram post in which she announced the MambaOnThree fund.

"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," wrote Vanessa. "We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. 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."

She added, "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."