Beyoncé pays tribute to Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna in emotional post

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant tragically died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a devastating helicopter crash on Sunday.

Beyoncé has paid tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant after the star was killed in a helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Kobe tragically died on Sunday when the chopper he was flying in crashed in foggy weather in Calabasas, near Los Angeles.

To pay tribute to the sports legend, Beyoncé shared a series of pictures on Instagram to her 139 million followers.

The singer promised to pray for the late athlete’s wife Vanessa and their three daughters.

Alongside an image of Bryant kissing a smiling Gigi on the head, she wrote: “I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens.

“You are deeply missed beloved Kobe.”

Beyoncé  also posted a childhood picture of Bryant, 41, and a photograph of Gigi.

Her tribute came after the retired NBA star’s devastated wife broke her silence after the loss of her husband and daughter with an emotional outpouring on  Instagram.

Vanessa Bryant, who would have celebrated her 19th wedding anniversary in April, had four daughters with the sports star.

Vanessa says she “can’t describe the pain right now,” but paid thanks to “the millions of people” who have shown their support following her double tragic loss.

Vanessa, 37, posted a heartbreaking photo of herself with Kobe and their family to accompany the powerful message, already liked by 5 million people.

She wrote: “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.

“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.

“I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved.”

She continued: “We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.

“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them.

“But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way.

“Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable.

“I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”

Vanessa went on to write that she was thankful for all the messages and reading about the joy that Kobe and Gianna brought to other people’s lives.

She continued: “Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”

Vanessa revealed that she wanted to help others affected by the tragedy with a fund set up for donations.

She added: “To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy.”