Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman joined the many celebrities who mourned the death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday. Bryant and his daughter, 13-year-old Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, along with six others. There were no survivors.
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“Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the victims, their families and loved ones of those who perished today in the crash,” Chapman wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of Bryant in his Lakers uniform. Chapman added a praying hands emoji.
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Chapman’s fans used the comments section as a venue to share their sadness as well.
“I am shocked by this I am so sorry,” one person wrote.
“Rest in love,” another fan wrote.
“R.I.P. my Prayers goes out to The BRYANT Family and all who has loss their Lives,” one Instagram user wrote.
“Tragic loss for all involved. Prayers going up,” another fan wrote, adding a heart and praying hands emojis.
Bryant and Gianna were in a helicopter on the way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice when their helicopter crashed just before 10 a.m. PT. There was heavy fog in the area, which may have played a role in the crash. It is still under investigation.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed six other people died in the crash, and there were no survivors. Orange Coast College baseball coach John Antobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli and daughter Alyssa Altobelli were in the helicopter at the time of the crash, Altobelli’s brother said.
Christina Mauser, a girls basketball coach and wife of Tijuana Dogs singer Matt Mauser, died in the crash. Matt confirmed the news on Facebook, reports TMZ.
“My kids and I are devastated, Mauser wrote. “We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much.”
Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA. In 2016, the Lakers retired numbers 8 and 24 after he retired.
“Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common,” Shaquille O’Neal, who played with Bryant, tweeted. “I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
