Three days after basketball great Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others perished in a helicopter crash, his wife Vanessa broke her silence in an Instagram post, saying she was “completely devastated”.

The social media text was posted alongside a recent family photo of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant with all four of their daughters — Gianna, who died with her father, along with 17-year-old Natalia, 3-year-old Bianka, and the youngest, Capri, born in June 2019.

Kobe and Gigi died on Sunday when the helicopter they were flying in en route to the Mamba Sports Academy for a girl’s basketball tournament crashed in foggy weather on a hillside northwest of Los Angeles. The pilot and six more passengers were also killed.

The death of Bryant, 41, an 18-time NBA all-star, five-time Lakers champion and one of the world’s most admired sports figures, unleashed an outpouring of grief and tributes around the globe.

“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” Vanessa, 37, a former model, wrote on Instagram.

“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe, the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna, a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”

The message goes on to say: “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now.”

She directed anyone wishing to “further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports” to visit MambaSports Foundation.org. There’s been no word on funeral arrangements yet.