Kobe Bryant Dead: Rick Fox’s Family Confirms He Was Not in Helicopter Crash

Rick Fox’s family confirmed that he was not in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant on Sunday morning. As news of Bryant’s tragic passing spread, some early reports claimed that Fox was with him in the accident. Now, TV Guide has confirmed that this is not true.

Fans were heartbroken when early reports claimed that Fox had been onboard the helicopter that crashed on Sunday morning. Fox is another NBA veteran, who joined the L.A. Lakers the season after Bryant did and played with him for several years. However, Fox’s family set the record straight on social media.

“To confirm my stepdad Rick Fox is ALIVE and safe!” tweeted Jillian Hervey. “I just got off the phone with my sister. We are all in shock and deeply saddened but please don’t spread false news.”

A representative for Fox told reporters from TV Guide that the reports were false as well. Soon after, NBATV host Jared Greenberg confirmed that he had spoken to Fox since the crash happened.

“I have personally communicated with Rick Fox via text since the news about Kobe dying came out PLEASE STOP spreading ‘news’ unless you personally can confirm it!” he tweeted.

So far, it has been confirmed by The Los Angeles Times that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna were killed in the helicopter crash. Additionally, TMZ Sports reported that baseball coach John Altobelli was onboard as well.

In a press conference aired on ABC News, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that there were eight passengers on the helicopter in total, as well as the pilot. This leaves six more victims unidentified as authorities contact their loved ones. The sheriff declined to identify any of the victims until the coroners have examined the remains and their next of kin have been notified.

“There has been wide speculation about [what] the identities [of the other victims] are, however it would be entirely inappropriate right now to identify anyone by name, until the coroner has made the identifications… and they’ve made notifications to the next of kin,” he said.

The helicopter left from John Wayne Airport in Orange County just after 9 a.m. PT. It crashed just before 10 a.m. in Calabasas, California. The aircraft fell without hitting any buildings or roadways, but landed in an area covered in dry brush. This caused a wildfire on the site, making it that much harder for first responders to get to it.