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Celebrities React to Kobe Bryant’s Death With Tributes to the NBA Legend

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Gone too soon. Basketball legend Kobe Bryant died on Sunday, January 26, after a private helicopter accident lead to a fiery crash in Calabasas, California. The athlete was 41 years old.
He was reportedly traveling with at least eight other people, including the pilot, but it has been confirmed no passengers survived the horrific accident. Nine people have been reported dead. After a fire broke out, emergency services responded to the crashed copter. Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, was reportedly not on board at the time and her Instagram page has gone private as she undoubtedly grieves for her husband and family.
The highly-regarded competitor was known for playing a vibrant 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He started in 1995 — when he was drafted into the NBA directly from high school. That’s how skilled the beloved ball player was on the court.
Needless to say, the world has been gravely affected by the shock of his passing. Shortly after the news of his death was revealed, celebrities, friends and fans all took to social media to react to the tragic news and pay tribute to the NBA star in the wake of his untimely death. Scroll through the gallery below to see celebrity reactions to the athlete.
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Courtesy of T.I. / Instagram
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Courtesy of Cardi B / Instagram
Cardi B
Hustlers star Cardi B shared her disbelief for the tragic incident as well.
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Courtesy of Ciara / Twitter
Ciara
“Rest in peace, angels,” the songstress wrote on Twitter. She shared a throwback photo of the beloved father kissing Gianna on the head.
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Courtesy of Lauren London / Instagram
Lauren London
Nispey Hussle‘s girlfriend, Lauren London, paid tribute to the father-daughter duo on Instagram. “Heart is heavy,” she wrote.
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Courtesy of Coco Austin / Instagram
Coco Austin
Coco Austin praised Kobe and Gianna’s “father-daughter connection” in her touching sentiment to the fallen pair.
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Drake
The rapper shared a photo of the back of a jacket that featured a patch for Bryant with the words that read: Farewell, Mamba.
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Vinny Guadagnino
The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star was in disbelief like many others and he took to Twitter to share his thoughts.
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Chrissy Teigen
The Sports Illustrated model, like most, was in pure disbelief by the tragedy.
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Mark Cuban
“We can never forget how precious life is,” the Shark Tank star wrote. “How those who are special to you and never let them forget how deeply you love them.”
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Maria Menunos
“How is this even real? So, so heartbreaking,” the TV personality wrote.
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Josh Peck
“Thank you for what you did for L.A.,” the Drake and Josh alum wrote. “Thank you for what you did for basketball.”
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Ellen DeGeneres
“My heart is broken for his wife and family,” the talk show host wrote on social media.
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Jamie Foxx
“Just can’t take this one. Sending up prayers to your beautiful family. This hurt for a lifetime,” the actor wrote on Instagram. “@kobebryant you will be missed for eternity. REST IN POWER.”
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Demi Lovato
“This makes me so sad. Kobe you were always so sweet to me. Known you over 10 years,” the singer wrote on social media. “Not super well but we always joked about you coming over and playing that game of horse! You will he so missed by so many. You’re a legend with wings now. RIP Kobe,” she concluded, adding three broken heart emojis.
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Justin Bieber
“It can’t be. You always encouraged me, mamba,” the pop star wrote on Instagram. “Gave me me some of the best quotes that we smile about to this day! Love you man!”
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Ryan Seacrest
“No words for the shocking and devastating news about Kobe Bryant,” the beloved host wrote on Twitter.
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Reese Witherspoon
“An extraordinary athlete, and a genuinely kind, wonderful man,” the actress wrote on Twitter.
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Kris Jenner
“Devastated by the news of losing our precious Kobe Bryant,” the Kar-Jenner matriarch wrote on Instagram. Words cannot express our sadness.”
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Hailey Bieber
“I don’t even know what to say other than I am devastated to the core,” the model wrote on Instagram.
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Kylie Jenner
“At loss for words right now,” the KUWTK star wrote on Instagram. “Praying for this beautiful family.”
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Ice-T
“I can’t explain my sadness,” the actor and rapper wrote on Instagram. “[I] met Kobe when he was right outta high school … Came to my house and rapped on the mic … We’ll miss you homie!”
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Chanel West Coast
The Ridiculousness host told a sweet anecdote about the athlete on Instagram.
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Courtesy of Twitter
Michael Jordan
From one legend to another. “I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me,” the NBA star said about his longtime friend.
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Courtesy of Shaquille O'Neal/Twitter
Shaquille O’Neal
The retired star revealed that he was overcome with grief while expressing his utmost condolences after hearing the devastating news. “There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of [losing] my niece Gigi and my brother,” he tweeted.
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Courtesy of Kanye West/Twitter
Kanye West
The rapper posted a throwback photo of himself spending time with Kobe alongside a heartfelt message. “We’re praying for your family and appreciate the life you’ve lived and the inspiration you gave,” Kanye shared.
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Courtesy of Channing Tatum/Instagram
Channing Tatum
“No words for how sad this is. None. As I pray and send love to the families of those that were lost,” the actor captioned a photo of Kobe with his daughter. “I know a dad and daughter have each other up there. And they will be playing together until they see their love ones again. Rest in Paradise.”
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Courtesy of Taylor Swift/Twitter
Taylor Swift
“My heart is in pieces hearing the news of this unimaginable tragedy,” the pop star wrote. “I can’t fathom what the families are going through. Kobe meant so much to me and to us all. Sending my prayers, love, and endless condolences to Vanessa and the family and anyone who lost someone on that flight.”
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Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
Lamar Odom
“These picture are just the tip of the iceberg of our relationship. He taught me so many things in life that were necessary on and off the court,” the athlete said. “On the court he taught me how to carve out defenses and how to take my time. How to make winning my ultimate goal. Off the court he taught me to sign my own checks, LOL. Of course, anyone who knows my story knows I’ve suffered a lot of loss, but the only loss I can compare this to is when I lost my son. Even though our relationship wasn’t father/son, it was more like him being a teacher and me being his brother. I’m glad I got to be the ying to your yang as far as the locker room was concerned. It was my pleasure. I couldn’t even catch my breath today when I heard this news. I just knew if he was in a helicopter crash, he would have been the one to survive. Somehow, he would have jumped out and landed on his feet. I’m sitting here thinking about when we would be in practice scrimmaging and you would start the jump ball off with elbowing Sasha in the chest. Like dude it’s 10:30 in the morning, LOL. You think watching him play was crazy, you gotta think in practice if you scored like 8-9 buckets throughout the practice you had a great practice. I’ve seen him knock off 13-14 in a row in practice!!!! I’m still waiting for the media to come out and say wrong report. No way God took my brother this early. I know I been through my own stuff in life with using drugs and not being good to myself. When I went through that coma situation, if God would have came to me and said we would take me and spare Kobe, I would have rather that happened. In honor of my brother, I’m up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to get to the gym! Gigi gone give you buckets!!!! I love you, brother.”
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Courtesy of Jennifer Lopez/Instagram
Jennifer Lopez
“Family. As I scrolled through Kobe’s feed, and Alex and I talk memories and moments we remember about him, this is the truth that rings out the loudest — family is what matters most,” the singer captioned a photo of herself with the basketball player and his wife. “We are all feeling sadness from this loss, but all I can think of is that it is a grain of sand compared to what Vanessa must going through right now. I am sending all of my love and praying for you, your children and the other families involved in today’s tragic turn of events. The most unfair thing in life is to lose a child and husband on the same day. Vanessa, I pray for your strength and that God guides you each step of the way through this unimaginable heartbreak. To the other families who are suffering from this unthinkable tragedy, may God be with you all. Kobe, you meant so much to so many, and we will miss you forever. Thank you for your work ethic, your inspiration and your heart. #hero #legend #husband #father.”
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Courtesy of Kim Kardashian West/Twitter
Kim Kardashian
“My heart is so heavy. No one should ever experience what the families involved are going through,” the reality star wrote in her tweet after hearing about the tragedy.
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Courtesy of Rick Fox/Twitter
Rick Fox
The former small forward also took to social media with a sentimental message. “Kobe and Gianna may your souls and the souls of the others who were with you Rest In Peace,” the basketball star wrote in his statement.
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Courtesy of Shay Mitchell/Instagram
Shay Mitchell
The actress posted an emoji of a broken heart alongside of a photo of Kobe and his daughter on Instagram.
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Courtesy of Dwyane Wade/Twitter
Dwyane Wade
Kobe’s friend posted on Twitter, “Heroes come and go LEGENDS live forever #8 #24.” Additionally, he took to his Instagram Stories to express how upset he was that his friend was gone. “Today is one of the saddest days in my lifetime,” he said. “It seems like a bad dream that you just wanna wake up from. It’s a nightmare.”

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