The bodies of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant were reportedly released to their family following their tragic deaths last month.
According to Us Weekly, the remains were released by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Sunday, Feb. 2, in preparation for their funeral – expected to take place next week.
Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in dense fog on Jan. 26. They were remembered in various ways at Super Bowl LIV in Miami on Sunday, WENN.com reports.
Images of Kobe and Gianna, as well as Pro Football Hall of Famer Chris Doleman, who died last week, were shown on big screens as the crowd fell silent.
Later, singers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira paid tribute to Kobe during their Halftime Show, when an overhead shot of the field during a performance of Jennifer’s “Let’s Get Loud” showed a huge cross lit up in purple and yellow – the colors of Kobe’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Island Express Helicopters, the charter service that employed Kobe’s pilot, Ara Zobayan, are under investigation following reports that Zobayan, 50, was not as experienced flying under instrument rules only.
According to the FAA, Island Express’s pilots were authorized to fly under visual flight rules only, meaning they had to be able to clearly see the ground and other aircraft while in the air.
Island Express has grounded their fleet of six Sikorsky S-76B choppers until the investigation is completed. The company was involved in four helicopter crashes previously.
