American basketball legend, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, have been laid to rest in a private funeral.
The private funeral for the father and daughter was held at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California, on Friday, February 7, two weeks after they died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others.
The ceremony held without photographers or media coverage.
Information about the ceremony was revealed in death certificates issued by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, which listed burial as the type of deposition for both Kobe and Gianna.
The certificates listed the causes of death as burnt trauma and indicated that they died in a ‘rapid’ manner in the January 26 crash in the hills of Calabasas.
The legendary NBA star is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and three daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source told ET. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”
In addition to the private funeral, a public memorial will be held for Kobe and Gianna on Monday, Feb. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the athlete played professional basketball with the Lakers for the entirety of his 20-year career. “24” is a special date, as it’s the number Kobe sported on his journey since the 2006-07 season.
Vanessa confirmed the date and time of the upcoming public memorial via her Instagram. She shared that it will start at 10 a.m., posting artwork with purple and yellow butterflies.
On Jan. 30, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed that a memorial was being planned in honor of the basketball icon, as well as the eight other victims of the crash.
“There will absolutely be a memorial to mark the contributions of this incredible man and not only him, but to commemorate the loss of his daughter and all the other families that were there,” Garcetti told the Los Angeles Times, referencing Gianna, along with Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
“We don’t have that date finalized but we’ve been talking every day to the Lakers, and most importantly, to [Bryant’s widow, Vanessa] as well,” he continued. “I think one message that I would say is this is not just about a man who was a basketball player, this is about a father, this is about a leader, this is about a filmmaker, this is about an artist, this is about somebody who was so much more than just how he was on the court.”
