John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa Altobelli were three of the nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash along with Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant on Jan. 26. The Altobelli family was honored this week as a memorial service was held at Angel Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Angels. The service was open to the public and thousands attended the celebration of their lives.
“JJ, Lexi, I know the time you had together with all of them doesn’t seem like it’s enough, but I know you’ll cherish it,” said Buck Taylor, the former San Marcos Palomar College coach and current Kansas State pitching coach who was a longtime friend of John Altobelli, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “You two are strong enough to work through this.”
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Here’s a look at a few notable photos of the service.
Family Friend
Sammy Forbath, the best friend of ย Alyssa Altobelli, is seen speaking at the service. Alyssa was Gianna’s basketball teammate; at the time of the crash, the Bryants, Altobellis and four others were heading to a basketball tournament at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy.ย
JJ Altobelli
JJ Altobelli, the son of John Altobelli and the stepson of Kerri Altobelli, spoke at the service. He said: “On behalf of me, Lexi, [fiancรฉe] Carly, I can’t thank everyone here enough. The amount of love and support we’ve received these past few weeks has been truly amazing. Each text, call, donation or act of kindness has not gone unnoticed. It really shows the impact my dad, K and Alyssa had on everyone here.”
Orange Coast Baseball Team
John Altobelli was the head coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, whose players came out to support their leader. He was entering his 28th season as the head coach and he won over 700 games in his career.ย
New baseball coach
Nate Johnson takes over as the head coach of the Orange Coast baseball team and he appreciates how the Altobelli family has treated him over the years.ย
“They treated me like one of them,” Johnson said via Clayton News-Daily. “They treat everyone like one of them. That’s why they’re so many people out here wearing these 14 shirts. They made everyone feel like an Altobelli or a Pirate.”
Riverside City Baseball
The Riverside City College baseball team also attended the service. One of the players on the team, Alphonzo Mancinas, said to the Daily Titan: “It’s the baseball family. We’re all there for each other and we have to be because we’re all so close. It’s tough to lose someone that you’re around that much.”ย
A look at the crowd
As you can see, thousands attended the service which is an indication of how much of an impact the Altobelli family made in the community. There will be another service in less than two weeks which will honor all the victims and it will be held at the Staples Center.ย
Touching Moment
At the end of the service, everyone in attendance held up lights to honor the three members of the Altobelli family who died in the crash. It has been an emotional couple of weeks for the Los Angeles community, but the tributes and memorial services give everyone an opportunity to celebrate the lives of the ones who are no longer here.
