Kobe Bryant Dead: Officials Requesting Crowds to Steer Clear of Staples Center Due to Grammys 2020

The world is mourning the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, following a [...]

The world is mourning the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, following a helicopter crash on Sunday. Bryant's legacy spanned much further than the basketball world as he impacted musicians, actors and everyday people. His efforts have been well-documented in the hours since the tragic news first got out as thousands of tweets from celebrities have shared his impact on them.

Fans of Bryant's have ventured over to the Staples Center where Bryant starred for 20 years with the Los Angles Lakers. The arena is also hosting the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, which has created quite the scene in downtown. Officials are trying to get visitors away from the arena.

The push back from local enforcement has caused a stir among people.

"Reschedule the Grammys. They don't matter today," one user responded. "Today we all mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant. If people want to gather at the Staples Center, they should be allowed to do that."

Another wrote, "That is house that Kobe and Shaq built! Cancel the Grammy's! Kobe's fans deserve to grieve at Staples Center."

One person who stopped by the venue to pay tribute to Bryant tweeted that she did so to "pay my respects for Kobe."

"Went to Staples Center to pay my respects to Kobe. LA lost a true legend, and the crowds that came out showed just how much he meant to this city," the tweet read.

Along with the thousands of mourners who formed outside the Staples Center, many of his former teammates shared very personal tributes to Bryant. One of which belonged to Lamar Odom, who spent eight years playing alongside the former league MVP in Los Angeles.

"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," he wrote as part of his lengthy tribute.

The Grammys air Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Getty Images

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