There’s been an outpouring of grief for NBA great Kobe Bryant, and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi, who died in a helicopter crash over the weekend.
Now the seven other victims of the crash have been named.
The group of sports coaches, parents and teenage peers of Gigi were on their way to basketball practice when the chopper crashed into the side of a mountain in California at 9:45am yesterday.
The Calabasas crash site was 500 metres from the home of reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian.
Here’s Matt Mauser talking about one of the victims his wife Christina. Post continues after video.
In a press conference yesterday, LA police confirmed the weather at the time of the crash didn’t meet their minimum standards for flying, but the pilot of the helicopter had been given special clearance to fly in the thick fog.
NBC reports federal investigators will be looking into the poor flying conditions, the possibility of human error or a technical malfunction to work out the exact cause of the crash.
The Daily Mail reports the nine bodies are yet to be retrieved due to the difficulty of the crash site location.
Here’s everything we know about the victims.
Kobe Bryant, 41, and Gigi Bryant, 13.
Kobe Bryant was one of the biggest names in basketball.
He was an 18-times NBA All-Star who wore the jersey numbers 24 and 8 – both of which were retired by the Lakers – and was the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history with 33,643 points.
He was named NBA most valuable player in 2008, and also had two Olympic gold medals to his name.
The 41-year-old was married to wife of 20 years, Vanessa, who he met when she was 17 and he was 21. The couple, who have lived their entire relationship in the spotlight, have four daughters: Natalia Diamante, 17, Gianna Maria-Onore, 13, Bianka Bella, three, and Capri Kobe, less than one year old.
Gianna, or "Gigi" as she is nicknamed, died alongside her dad. The pair were on their way to her basketball practice with the Mamba Academy team.
Gigi was passionate about the game, and was showing great potential as a future star in the sport.
There has been an outpouring of grief for the much loved basketballer and his daughter; with presidents, celebrities and fellow sport stars paying tribute to the pair.
John Atlobelli, 56, Keri Atlobelli, Alyssa Atlobelli, 13.
John, his wife Kerri, and their daughter Alyssa, who was a teammate and friend of Gigi's all died in the crash.
John was the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, leading the team there to 700 victories over nearly three decades.
"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli. He was a coach, a colleague, a mentor and a friend at OCC for 27 years," the College wrote on Facebook.
The Atlobelli family grew close to the Bryants as their daughters competed on the same team, which was coached by Kobe himself.
The NBA star called out Alyssa's great defence on his Instagram late last year.
The family is survived by two other children, a son J.J who is a scout for the Boston Red Sox, and a daughter Lexi.
Alyssa was the youngest of the siblings.
Christina Mauser, 38.
Christina was a basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach where Gigi went to school. She, alongside Kobe, was assistant coach of the Mamba Academy team which the 13-year-old's played on.
She was also a mother of three, and her husband has spoken to the Today Show about his loss.
"I got three small kids and I'm trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom," said Matt Mauser.
"I'm scared. I think more than anything I'm a little scared about the future," he added.
Matt described his wife as incredibly witty, funny and extraordinary, telling Today she was incredibly bright and could "figure out anything".
The couple's children are 11, nine and three.
Sarah Chester, 45, Payton Chester, 13.
Payton was also on the basketball team, and was travelling with her mother Sarah when the helicopter crashed.
They are survived by husband Chris and twins Hayden and Riley, who are 16.
Payton's uncle and Sarah's brother, Andy George, told the Orange County Register the family is "heartbroken" over the news.
“She’s the one that everybody counted on. She was there for everyone," George said of his sister, Sarah. "She had this sweetest soul, the kindest most gentlest person you would ever meet."
Of his niece Payton, Andy said she loved basketball and wanted to continue playing in high school and college. She'd been on Bryant's Mamba team for sometime.
Principal Todd Schmidt wrote about the mother and daughter on Facebook saying, "As a principal, we work with some amazing families... the Chesters were one of those... engaged, supportive, encouraging, and full of mischief and laughter... and they had the best kiddos!"
"The world is just a little less without you both in it. May you both Rest In Peace and know the deep impact you had on our lives. You will be so sorely missed," he added.
Ara Zobayan, 50.
Ara was the pilot on the helicopter, and was a much loved figure in the aviation community.
He was Kobe Bryant's regular pilot, and was an instructor for other aspiring heli pilots, obtaining his flying licence in 2007.
"The helicopter community lost a great pilot, a great man and a dear friend to so many. My heart aches," friend Jared Yochim wrote on Facebook.
"He was not your typical egotistical helicopter pilot like most of us honestly are. Ara was a man that always remained cool, calm and collected, as more people that knew Ara open up about him, you’ll only hear words like professional, calculated and loving. He was always good for a laugh," he added.
It hasn't been reported how many children Ara has, however they appear to be in control of his socials.