The shocking death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday has fans and friends across the world mourning. One of them is actress Olivia Munn, who was close with the basketball legend.
She took to Instagram on Monday to share her touching thoughts on Bryant and a heartwarming story.
“Kobe. You were such a wonderful friend. Always positive and thoughtful and supportive and reliable and so, so bright. One of the brightest souls I’ve ever seen and I am absolutely devastated by this,” she wrote.
“We were supposed to get together this week to brainstorm more parts of the epic world you were creating at Granity Studios. You were creating a whole big world from scratch- everything from the continents to the oceans and rivers to the trees and even the leaves on the trees.”
“The last time we talked, I told you my idea about what the night sky would be made of. I was inspired by friends of mine who lost their 4-year-old daughter to cancer. When explaining to their younger daughter what happened, instead of saying that her sister had died, they would tell her that ‘Billie turned into a star.’ To this day, if you ask her where her sister is, she’ll say ‘Billie étoile,'” Munn continued.
“We wanted to help kids be less afraid of death and tell stories of all the little and big stars…. And now you’re one of them.
Sending all of my love to Vanessa and your daughters.
Rest in love my friend. I’ll look for you in the sky.
Bryant’s Granity Studio was created to make “original content company focused on creating new ways to tell stories around sports. Stories that are crafted to entertain, by bringing education and inspiration together.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on behalf of the league on Sunday:
“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary: five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals.”
He continued:
But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Vanessa, and their family, the Lakers organization and the entire sports world.”
