Celebrity News January 26, 2020
All the Victims in Kobe Bryant’s Fatal Helicopter Crash Revealed
More details are surfacing about the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna on Sunday morning.
Hours after the crash, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department held a press conference, telling the media that there were nine people on board and that all had "perished."
Kobe Bryant & Daughter Gianna Die in Helicopter Crash
View StoryThey would not, however, confirm that Kobe and daughter Gianna were among the passengers, insisting that they were waiting for the coroner's confirmation before identifying the victims by name.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office is working to recover the bodies, but have not identified any of the other victims, either.
As the world awaits official word, media reports have indicated that the seven other people who died included John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton; and pilot Ara Zobayan.
The first victims whose identities were reported were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, his wife Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa.
Gianna and Alyssa were teammates at the Mamba Academy.
John's brother Tony confirmed his passing to CNN.
OCC assistant coach Ron La Ruffa told the outlet, "It was something John routinely did, flying up with Kobe to attend games with his daughter."
OCC President Angelica Suarez said, "We have lost a member of our OCC family, and our hearts are broken. Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus — a beloved teacher, coach, colleague, and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community."
Katie Couric also remembered John, writing on Instagram, "Orange County baseball coach John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa and wife Keri also died in the helicopter crash along with Kobe and Gianna Bryant. My heart goes out to the Altobelli family 💔."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
The Mayor of Costa Mesa, Katrina Foley, confirmed that girls' basketball coach Christina Mauser was a victim in a heartbroken tweet.
I just learned that our amazing Matt Mauser of TiajuanaDogs lost his wife Christina in the crash. She coached the girls team. This devastating tragedy gets worse by the hour. So much pain for so many local families. Our hearts are broken & grieving for the families impacted.
@KatrinaFoley
On Monday, Matt Mauser of the band Tijuana Dogs opened up about his wife Christina Mauser having died in the crash, telling "Today," "It's horrible. It's horrible. I've got three small kids, and I'm trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom."
"Christina — well, [Bryant] didn't choose Christina for just any ordinary reason," Mauser continued. "She was extraordinary. She was witty, incredibly witty. Funny — funny like nobody you've ever met... She was warm. She was incredibly bright. She was technologically incredibly savvy — she could figure out anything. My wife could break you down in two seconds. She knew how to figure you out... She was incredibly deep."
Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton Chester were identified as victims via a Facebook post by Riley Chester, Sarah's surviving son, while pilot Ara Zobayan was named by multiple social media posts describing him as an experienced pilot.
Kylie Jenner remembered Zobayan on her Instagram Story, writing, "i still can't believe this. that was the helicopter i would fly on from time to time with that pilot, Ara. he was such a nice man."
An active investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.