Yes, very sad.

It's now confirmed by multiple news sources, although it's still unclear who else was on board. He was a giant of the game.

I'm watching the news. It's another moment that hits like a brick out of nowhere. Just can't believe it.

Report says his 13 yo daughter was also on board. So sad.

so sad, he was a great man and outstanding player.

He went to my local high school. CNN was broadcasting from there.The gymnasium is named after him. There were mixed feelings about that because not all news about him was good. Very sad and shocking even more so because of the death of his daughter. He also has a newborn daughter, as well as two others.

Tragic, father and daughter. God bless them.

I'm speechless --- and not about the Kobe Bryant news.

Like Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are believe them."

Yes @dedtired as you know, that's where my daughter lives and we drive by all the time. So sad.

Even on the community FB page (before today) there were many posts of people running into him and he was always a gracious gem. Very sad.

My perhaps misunderstood words were to suggest the coverage I've seen seems to emphasize the key point of the story to be nature of the accident, a copter crash. And my reaction is - I don't think the specifics matter, he could have had a tree fall on him and the tragedy is the same. Lest there be any confusion, I've deleted it. Sorry.

dedtired and salonva, my son graduated from LMHS. He is gutted.

This is terrible. I have always admired him. So sad about his daughter, and terrible for his remaining children and wife.

Just saw a press conference, and they said 9 people were on board.

DH just came in and mentioned the same, Bookwoman. I'm so hoping the others weren't other children heading to that game or practice. Early reports were saying at least one other parent and child may have been involved.

I just found out when I turned on our local 6pm. news. Shocking and very sad.

My heart aches for Vanessa Bryant to lose her husband and child in an instant. I do hope she didn't find out via social media. The news seem to break so quickly.

Book woman and Salonva, my son also went to LMHS, but many years before Kobe was there. I visited my son in CA and saw people walking around with LM on their tshirts amd sweatshirts and I was totally puzzled until my son said Kobe.

Such a sad story. Sorry for the loss his family has to endure.

Dawn, yes...it sounds like there were 8 others on board. I was listening earlier about the OC coach, his wife and daughter. I can't even imagine. They said even the police helicopters were grounded due to the fog this morning. This is just so hard to process.

What a tragic loss of a talented athlete and his daughter, a budding athlete. It's difficult to imagine the terrible impact this will have on his wife and surviving children.

A shock to hear and a tragedy for all who have lost loved ones. He was apparently very involved in trying to teach and help kids in his retirement, which is always for good IMO. The baseball coach’s daughter played on the team with KB’s daughter apparently.

so shocking!! we are also in the area. DS played basketball in LM gym and Kobe's H.S. jersey was in the rafters.

he donated/financed the new gym, which i think is in his name, about 5 years ago or so.

just so incredibly sad, i don't know if the family can ever recover from this. Life altering. i hope the reason for the crash wasn't one that could have been avoided. that would be gut wrenching/unfathomable/always questioning "why", "what if," "if only" etc....

prayers for the all the families, i am sure they are all in a state of shock.

This is a lovely tribute: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2873292-the-making-of-an-nba-icon

This is another piece from our LA Times.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-01-26/bill-plaschke-column-on-kobe-bryant

Thanks, Bookwoman. Just edited it.

No problem - I've deleted my post.

I just saw this -- This is from the high school coach.

On Monday evening, Downer issued the following statement in memory of Bryant: It is with complete shock and a broken heart that I mourn the passing of Kobe Bryant and his beautiful daughter, Gianna, and all the victims of this horrific tragedy.
My deepest condolences to the families involved, to Laker Nation, to Kobe’s fans around the world, and to our local Aces Nation.
It may seem odd for a grown man to admit it, but yesterday I lost my hero. Never have I witnessed such passion, work ethic, and intensity -- such a unique and purposeful drive for greatness. No excuses. No shortcuts. No days off. Kobe set the standard. He was our superman.
Kobe was a phenomenal athlete, a brilliant mind, and the fiercest competitor to walk the earth. And he was an even better father. The bond we shared in raising our young daughters was the source of my greatest pride in our relationship. When Kobe would take my daughter, Brynn, into his arms for hugs and high fives, our smiles were a mile wide -- the joy was incomparable. We had found something more important than basketball. We had discovered our purpose.
It is not often in life you see pure greatness. I was lucky enough to have a front row seat to it for four years. He pushed me as a coach to be better and I pushed him right back. It was a beautiful, winning combination for which I will forever be grateful. Our Aces motto is “hard work, dedication, results.” No one did it any better.
Moving forward seems nearly impossible, but I wonder if Kobe would tell us to “bounce the ball, squeak the sneakers and compete.”
We will continue to seek your inspiration daily and honor your legacy with our current and future Aces. We will never let your Aces Nation down.
I love you, Kobe Bean Bryant. Thank you for all you have done for me, for Lower Merion Basketball and for the world.
Rest in peace.

Long after Bryant went on to NBA stardom and five championships over his 20-year-career, he remained philanthropically engaged with his alma mater. The school has honored Bryant with a memorial as the community continues to grieve and celebrate his life. more