Celebrities support Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa, after she breaks social media silence
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Celebrities took to the comments section of Vanessa Bryant’s heartfelt Instagram post Wednesday to rally behind her after the tragic death of her late husband and daughter, Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
Vanessa not only issued a statement on the deaths, but made her Instagram account public and shared an emotional post thanking fans and friends for their love and kind words. The NBA star and Gianna were among nine who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Sunday.
Vanessa, 37, shared a photo and caption updating fans about how she and her other three daughters are holding up and announcing the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by the crash.
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Since drafting the post, Vanessa seems to have turned comments off. However, People magazine managed to spot various celebrities reaching out to show their support before she removed the post.
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“Love you deep V. Forever and always by ur side ❤️❤️❤️🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽,” La La Anthony wrote.
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“Sending boundless love, light, and strength. God bless✨🙏” Martha Hunt added.
My most deepest condolences to you Vanessa! My heart bleeds for you and the other families! Lifting you up in prayer 🙏🏾” NeNe Leakes responded.
“Girl Meets World” actress Danielle Fishel shared a lengthy post showing support for the Bryant family, including the former NBA player’s surviving kids Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
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“I have written and rewritten this message 12 times. I truly cannot find the words because they all feel weak and worthless in light of the enormous tragedy you, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri are experiencing,” the star wrote.
Fishel continued: “You all, including the other families, have been in my prayers multiple times every day and I know God is watching over you and wrapping you in his light and love. My deepest condolences to everyone who loved, and will continue to love forever, the nine souls lost that day.”
Ellen DeGeneres, who previously eulogized Kobe on her talk show, posted: “There is so much love in the world for you right now. I hope you can feel it.”
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You and your family, and the families of the others lost, are in everyone’s thoughts, prayers and hearts,” added “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
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“Sending all my love and prayers,” Lily Aldridge commented.
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Other stars to reportedly add their thoughts – prior to the removal of comments – included Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Nikki Bella, Cindy Crawford, Todd Chrisley and more.
The post from Vanessa marked her first public statement since her daughter and husband died.
"My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them," she captioned a photo of her whole family.
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"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."
"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.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."
All nine aboard the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter Sunday were headed for the Mamba academy for a sports tournament. The chopper went down over Calabasas, Calif., and erupted into flames. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.
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Also among the dead were two of Gianna's teenage teammates, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, along with three of their parents, as well as a basketball coach and the pilot.
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Earlier Wednesday, Vanessa changed her profile photo on Instagram to a photo of her husband and daughter embracing. She also unlocked her previously private account, giving the public access to dozens of photos of her family.
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Fox News' Vandana Rambaran contributed to this report.