Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gigi's Bodies Released By Coroner To Their Family
Feb. 2 2020, Updated 7:35 p.m. ET
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi's remains have been released by the Los Angeles Coroner's Office and given to their family for final resting, RadarOnline.com has confirmed.
According to the LA Coroner's Office, the bodies of Kobe and Gianna, known as "Gigi," have been released after confirmation of their identity and cause of death were determined by investigators.
The two were among nine people to die in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California last Sunday, January 26.
The Coroner's Office told RadarOnline.com that the rest of the victims' remains, except the Altobelli family, have also been released. The Altobelli family members' bodies are ready for burial but they are still at the Coroner's.
Foggy weather conditions apparently caused the helicopter's pilot, Ara Zobayan, to smash into a hillside.
It burst into flames and started a brush fire in the Calabasas mountains.
NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy said in a press conference that it was a "high energy impact crash."
During Friday night's game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers pulled out all stops to memorialize Kobe, whose entire NBA career was for the team.
Then Kobe's wife Vanessa, 37, posted a touching photo and caption as a new tribute to her late husband and their daughter after their shocking deaths.
Now the grieving widow can lay Kobe and Gigi to rest.
The girl, 13, was following in her retired 41-year-old dad's footsteps and when the helicopter went down, Gigi and Kobe and their friends were flying towards Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks. They were planning to practice girls' basketball but never made it.
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The NTSB hasn't yet released the exact cause of the copter accident, but the unusually foggy conditions are thought to be to blame.
It's expected that the Lakers will eventually hold a huge public memorial for Kobe.
The Coroner's office wasn't able to immediately identify all the remains.
But as RadarOnline.com reported, Kobe and three other crash victims had been identified by fingerprints by January 28.
Amid the news about Kobe and his daughter's remains, celebrities are attending today's Super Bowl.
In the wake of the deaths, festivities surrounding the football game have been lower key this year, with many stars paying tribute.
Halftime performers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will honor Kobe during the show.
In a press conference on Thursday, Shakira, 42, noted, "Life is so fragile. And that's why we have to live every moment as intensely as we can."