As crazy as it sounded when it happened, it’s even crazier that it has been two weeks since the sudden and tragic death of Gianna and Kobe Bryant, along with seven other people in southern California.
While fans scrambled to learn if that info was even true when it came out on January 26th, the families of the victims on that helipcopter crash did not have a clue how their lives would be changed as well.
The Altobelli family has revealed their heartbreaking text messages in the aftermath of that fateful morning.
14-year-old Alyssa Altobelli was travelling with her parents, Keri and John Altobelli, on that commercial helicopter that left John Wayne Airport on Sunday, Jan. 26.
John’s younger brother wasn’t sure that his family was even on the helicopter when he got word of the news.
He told The New York Times that he received a call just before noon from their third brother, Jim, who lives in Texas.
“Did you hear about Kobe?” his brother asked.
Neither of them had an inkling that it was anything more than celebrity news. Altobelli texted the Orange Coast College women’s basketball coach, Sammy Doucette, who had coached at Mamba Academy.
“Hey Sammy is it true about Kobe?” Altobelli texted at 11:54.
“Where is John? Was he on board?” she replied immediately. “Where’s Alyssa?”
Altobelli froze.
“You better call John,” Doucette wrote. “His phone is off. I know he’s flown on the copter before.”
Altobelli texted his older brother at 11:55.
“Hey, are you there? Are you and the kids OK?”
There was no response.
Altobelli, panicked, messaged assistant baseball coaches. One of the coaches, Tim Matz, called him. He could barely get the words out.
“They’re all gone,” he said.
“Who’s all gone?” Altobelli asked.
“John, Keri and Alyssa. They’re all gone.”
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The helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, at 9:45 a.m. PT. There were no survivors.
