Shortly after it was reported that Kobe Bryant had passed away, many celebrities, including Demi Lovato, responded to the tragic news. Her response comes hours before she is set to make her comeback at the Grammy Awards at Staples Center, the arena that Bryant put on the map as a Laker.
“This makes me so sad,” Lovato wrote, captioning a photo of herself, Bryant, and one of his daughters. “Kobe you were always so sweet to me. Known you over 10 years.. not super well but we always joked about you coming over and playing that game of horse! You will he so missed by so many. You’re a legend with wings now. RIP Kobe”
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According to TMZ, Bryant reportedly passed away as a result of a helicopter crash that occurred in Calabasas, California on early Sunday, Jan. 26. His daughter, Gianna Maria, was reportedly also on board and killed in the crash. The father and daughter pair were supposedly traveling to the Mamba Academy with others on board for a basketball practice when the incident occurred.
TMZ also reported that Bryant frequently traveled by helicopter even dating back to his days on the Lakers. The publication detailed that he often traveled between Newport Beach, California and the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles via his Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
Given that this tragedy occurred mere hours before the Grammy Awards are set to kick off at the Staples Center, many fans wondered whether there would be any alterations to the ceremony in order to honor the late basketball player, whose storied career largely took place at the venue.
“If the Grammys don’t give a moment of silence in honor of Kobe Bryant that’s probably one of the most disrespectful things ever, although the Grammys is about the music this event is literally being held where Kobe made history,” one fan explained.
“The Grammys are at the Staples Center, the house that Kobe built,” former Glee star Kevin McHale also noted. “They better scramble something together for tonight.”
