Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41.
The basketball legend was among five people killed when his private aircraft came down in Calabasas near LA, California on Sunday morning.
The horrific tragedy was first revealed by TMZ, with their report revealing none of those on board survived.
Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of the crash in Calabasas at around 10am.
The cause is under investigation.
Eyewitnesses told TMZ they heard the helicopter’s engine spluttering before it went down.
Bryant is married, to Vanessa, and has four daughters. The identities of all those on board have yet to be revealed.
Bryant is a sporting superstar and one of the most successful players in the history of the NBA.
A point guard, he played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, having been drafted straight from high school, and won five NBA Championships.
He is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team and a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team.
He is also a two-time Olympic gold medal winner with the USA.
Bryant wore the No 8 jersey in his first decade with the Lakers and the No 24 in his next ten years with the organisation. Both jerseys were retired when he called it quits in 2016.
Sporting stars from around the world were quick to pay tribute to Bryant on their Twitter accounts.
Former England striker Gary Lineker wrote: “Oh no. How awful. One of the greatest sportsmen of our lifetime. Utterly tragic”, while current England forward Raheem Sterling wrote: “Rest easy Legend”.
Six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady said: “We miss you already Kobe”, while retired NBA star Dwyane Wade wrote: “Nooooooooooo God please No!”.
Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt tweeted: “Still can’t believe ?@kobebryant.”
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, also reacted to the news on social media.
