US News

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna laid to rest in private California funeral

A private funeral was held in California for Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who died along with seven others when the Lakers icon’s chopper crashed last month, according to new reports Tuesday.

The two were laid to rest last Friday in Corona Del Mar, ahead of a Feb. 24 public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for all nine victims of the Jan. 26 crash in Calabasas, according to Entertainment Tonight.

“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.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, speaking previously about the public memorial service, said, “We are one city that believes in each other, believes in something bigger than ourselves.”

“We will absolutely do everything to make sure that this is done so that everybody can come to it as well,” he added, according to E! News.

LA has used the Staples Center in the past to mourn some of the city’s most notable entertainers, including Michael Jackson and Nipsey Hussle.