ESPN, Variety, and TMZ are all reporting the death of famed-NBA player Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash in California.
Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down, TMZ reports. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We’re told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board, TMZ reported.
TMZ said Kobe has famously used a helicopter to travel for years — dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
The news broke TMZ’s website and downed Twitter before multiple other news outlets started confirming the details.