OC Mourns Teammates, Parents, Friends Lost In Helicopter Crash

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Orange County mourned the loss of nine of its own in Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County coroner's officials said they recovered all nine of the bodies from the accident scene and will begin the formal identification process.

Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41, and daughter Gianna Bryant, 13, of Newport Beach, were killed in the helicopter crash along with seven others who had joined them on the flight from John Wayne Airport.

All nine of the victims lived in Orange County and were deeply involved in the sports world, many in youth travel basketball. They were heading that day to Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.

They were parents, athletes, coaches, friends and family, riding together for a day of tournament basketball play. But they never made it to their destination, and the courts fell silent.

The victims of the crash, identified by relatives and friends, include:

• Kobe Bryant, 41, husband and father of Gianna and three other children, retired Los Angeles Laker, entrepreneur and businessman.
• Gianna Bryant, 13, daughter of Kobe, member of the Mamba Sports Academy basketball team.
• John Altobelli, 56, the veteran baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
• Keri Altobelli, John's wife, mother of Alyssa.
• Alyssa Altobelli, 13, daughter of John and Keri, and a teammate of Gianna.
• Sarah Chester, 45, mother of Payton Chester.
• Payton Chester, 13, daughter of Sarah and a teammate of Gianna and Alyssa.
• Christina Mauser, 38, one of Bryant's assistant coaches on the Mamba Academy team.
• Ara Zobayan, 50, the helicopter pilot, of Huntington Beach, regularly hired by Kobe Bryant.

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