Chrissy Teigen is among the millions of people shocked to learn that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Los Angeles. The model and television personality took to Twitter to mourn Bryant’s and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna’s deaths, which she learned of as she and husband John Legend were downtown preparing to walk the red carpet ahead of the Grammys at the STAPLES Center.
“I cannot believe this is real. My god. Oh my God,” Teigen, 34, wrote on Twitter. “Downtown right now and nothing feels more unimportant than what we are doing today. This is absolutely terrible. Everyone is numb.”
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Hours later, she tweeted that she was “home. kissed my family hard tonight. love you guys.”
Legend, 41, also weighed in on the tragic news, writing, “I’m so stunned right now. In Staples Arena, where Kobe created so many memories for all of us, preparing to pay tribute to another brilliant man we lost too soon, Nipsey Hussle. Life can be so brutal and senseless sometimes. Hold on to your loved ones. We miss you, Kobe.”
Teigen and Legend were able to find some happiness throughout the evening, as Legend took home his 11th Grammy Award – this time in the Best Rap/Sung Performance category for his work on “Higher” alongside DJ Khaled and Nipsey Hussle, a rapper who was killed in 2019.
“11th Grammy. Congrats my love, let’s have a drank,” Teigen captioned a video of her and Legend dancing together.
The Grammys paid tribute to Bryant in several different ways Sunday night, starting off with Lizzo exclaiming, “Tonight is for Kobe!” ahead of her performance at the top of the show. Host Alicia Keys and Boys II Men paid tribute to the 41-year-old father of four, and several artists incorporated him into their performances.
During his performance of “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X paid tribute to the Lakers player by laying a lined yellow Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey on one of the vacant sofas on set. Billy Ray Cyrus, who came on for a cameo during the performance, played a guitar emblazoned with the number 24.
Throughout the entirety of the evening, both of Bryant’s retired jerseys bearing the numbers 8 and 24 were illuminated high in the rafters.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others on board a helicopter died Sunday morning in a crash shortly before 10 a.m. in Calabasas. There were no survivors. The passengers were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy for basketball practice. An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and likely will focus on the foggy conditions and potential mechanical problems.
Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and both his numbers were retired after his final game in 2016. He won five NBA championships with the team, as well as two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
Bryant and Gianna, aka Gigi, are survived by wife and mom Vanessa Laine Bryant, 37, and daughters and sisters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
Photo credit: Randy Holmes / Contributor / Getty
