Television reacts to the death of Kobe Bryant in real-time

Los Angeles Times

Bryant was one of nine people killed this morning when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed and burst into flames Sunday morning amid foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas, according to the Los Angeles Times. Bryant was reportedly traveling with 13-year-old daughter Gianna Marie. TMZ was among the first to report news of Bryant's death less than half an hour before ESPN was set to cover the NFL's Pro Bowl. At first ESPN covered the Pro Bowl, but briefly went away for ABC News coverage of Bryant's death. Hollywood reacted with grief and shock over Bryant's death. Bryant was a frequent Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest, whose final appearance was last September. Kimmel paid tribute to Bryant on Twitter. "He was great,charismatic & among the hardest-working athletes ever,but what impressed me most was how deeply-involved Kobe was with his 4 daughters," Kimmel tweeted. "Pray for them, Vanessa, his parents & his fellow passengers' families on this sad and shocking day.   We will never forget you Kobe." In a separate tweet, Kimmel added: "So far 2020, you suck."

UPDATES:

• "We love you Kobe": Alicia Keys joins Boyz II Men in Grammys tribute to Kobe Bryant singing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye"
• Lizzo opens Grammys with a Kobe Bryant tribute: "Tonight is for Kobe"
• ABC will air a Kobe Bryant: The Legend special tonight at 10 p.m., hosted by Robin Roberts with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi
• Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic opened E!'s Live from the Red Carpet with a tribute to Bryant
• News outlets scrambled to cover Kobe Bryant's death: "From the BBC to Fox News, Bryant’s death dominated coverage as soon as word surfaced via TMZ around (11:32 a.m. PT)," says Cynthia Littleton. "The news broke as ESPN was in the midst of its NFL Pro Bowl telecast. The sports powerhouse broke into coverage for the somber bulletin around 12 p.m. PT but then returned to the game. ESPN 2 scrapped its regular schedule to present news about the crash and tributes to the famed Los Angeles Laker who retired after 20 seasons in the NBA in 2016. Bryant’s young age meant that networks had little in the way of retrospective material prepared to help put his life and career in perspective."
• Kobe Bryant's death could impact tonight's Grammys, which are being held where the Lakers play at the Staples Center: Fans are descending outside the Staples Center to mourn Bryant's death.
• Watch Kobe Bryant talk about his daughter Gianna carrying on his legacy in an October 2018 Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview
• Watch Bryant's 2018 Oscar acceptance speech where he shaded Fox News' Laura Ingraham for her “shut up and dribble" comment
• Bryant was just getting started with his TV, books, movie and podcasts empire
• Watch Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo break the news to his player on live TV
• ESPN releases an updated schedule on its ESPN2 Kobe Bryant coverage plans
• MSNBC anchor Alison Morris apologizes after she appeared to accidentally say the N-word during Kobe Bryant coverage
• BBC apologizes for using footage of LeBron James in its Kobe Bryant news coverage