4:40 PM PT -- The NTSB revealed the helicopter was not equipped with a black box, nor was it required to be. There was, however, an iPad on board used for flight itinerary, weather conditions and other flight elements that investigators will look at. The NTSB is also asking the public for photos of the weather in the area Sunday morning to determine flying conditions.
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The L.A. County Sheriff's Office has created a perimeter around the crash site -- with officers on ATV and horseback -- to make sure no one gets close to the wreck.
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3:48 PM PT -- The NTSB is minutes away from a press conference about the crash ... we will have the whole thing live here.
The pilot of the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 6 other passengers got in big trouble with fog -- they seemed to abort the trip and tried returning home, barely clearing one mountain range, but never slowed down ... this according to the flight tracker and several experienced helicopter pilots in the L.A. area.
As we reported, the pilot had to circle near the Downtown L.A. area -- near the L.A. Zoo -- for 15 minutes because of bad weather ahead. As we reported ... the LAPD had grounded its helicopter fleet because of fog at around the same time Kobe's helicopter took off.
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The pilot was following a visual flight plan and was cleared by the tower to proceed north, toward Thousand Oaks where Kobe was taking his daughter for a basketball game. When he got to the Calabasas area, the fog became blinding.
As we reported, the pilot was way too low -- at 1,250 feet. The pilots we spoke with say it's clear based on the abrupt change on the flight tracker ... the pilot panicked and quickly ascended to 2,000 feet. We're told he cleared a mountain range by 100 feet, and the pilots we spoke with say he was so low he almost certainly saw the tops of the mountain.
Pitbull was so devastated over the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's death, he had to cancel as the headliner for a charity event ... but the show went on.
Steven Tyler held his 3rd annual private dinner and Grammys watch party in Hollywood Sunday night to benefit Janie's Fund, his mission to help girls who've suffered trauma from abuse and neglect.
Pitbull was scheduled as the event's musical guest, but sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... he was too heartbroken to take the stage.
3:10 PM PT -- The UConn Huskies Women's basketball team is honoring Gianna prior to Monday night's game against Team USA ... by draping a #2 jersey on a chair with a bouquet of flowers.
Of course, GiGi was determined to play for the Huskies ... with Kobe even saying she was "hellbent on UConn."
Along with the jersey tribute, a message honoring the Bryant family was displayed on the video boards.
The NBA has officially postponed Tuesday night's Lakers vs. Clippers game at Staples Center in L.A. out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is reeling from the death of Kobe Bryant.
"The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday," the NBA said in a statement.
"The game will be rescheduled at a later date."
LeBron James was seen sobbing when he got off the Lakers' team plane at LAX on Sunday following a game in Philadelphia against the Sixers.
We've been told several players, staffers and other Lakers employees -- many of whom have known Kobe for years -- are simply inconsolable and not ready to go to work.
Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years and built lasting relationships with so many people.
One of the most popular faces on the Internet -- you know him as the "Success Kid" meme -- is shaking his famous little fist at Rep. Steve King for screwing up his brand.
Sam Griner is the little guy who became known as "Success Kid" nearly 10 years ago when people started attaching his determined little face to memes. Sam's mother, Laney Griner, has fired off a cease and desist letter to Congressman King.
In the letter, Lainey accuses King of implying his re-election campaign is associated with "Success Kid." She says King is using the Kid's photo with the caption, "FUND OUR MEMES," in large red letters on a crowdsourcing site.
The Kid's mom says she owns the copyright on Sam's image and has licensed it over the years to huge companies like Coca-Cola, General Mills, Microsoft and Marriott. She has not, and it sounds like never will, struck any such deal with Rep. King.
Mama Success says of King, "You have a record of vitriolic criticism of individuals who belong to protected classes or disadvantaged groups, or who support legal rights that you condemn."
The letter goes on, but you get the point -- she's not a fan of King or his politics.
She's giving the Iowa Rep. until Wednesday morning to take down his Success Kid imagery, post a retraction and apology, and hand over an accounting of how much his campaign's made off Success Kid. If he doesn't meet the deadline, she strongly suggests a lawsuit is in the offing.
Griner also wants proof King will refund all donations to the public, and put a little something -- or as she puts it, "reasonable compensation" -- in Success Kid's tight little fist.
Kobe Bryant'sfatalhelicopter crash is hitting close to home for Kylie Jenner-- she was a frequent-flier on that particular chopper, and even rented it for one of Dream's birthdays.
Kylie just broke her silence on the tragic accident that killed Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna,and 7 others Sunday morning in Calabasas ... and says she knew the pilot, Ara Zobayan, especially well.
The billionaire cosmetics mogul says Zobayan was the pilot whenever she flew on Kobe's helicopter, and she's remembering him as "such a nice man."
12:05 PM PT -- Officials say they have recovered three bodies from the crash site -- but have not specified on the IDs of those bodies. Officials worked well into the night on Sunday but had to suspend the search due to darkness and safety concerns. The search resumed Monday morning. No word on if any other bodies have recovered in Monday's search.
6:11 AM PT -- 1/27 -- All 9 people on the helicopter have been identified ...
Kobe Bryant (41), Gianna Bryant (13), John Altobelli (56), Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester (45), Payton Chester (13), Christina Mauser and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
Mauser was an assistant coach of the Mamba girls’ basketball team.
5:55 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained some of the last photos taken of Kobe Bryant with his daughter, Gianna, and it's clear they both had basketball on the brain in one of their final moments together.
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The pics were shot Saturday at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Gigi's Mamba team played two 8th grade girls games that day. You can see KB watching carefully from the sideline as Gianna was on the court.
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At one point, Kobe was seen giving his kid some tips. It's unclear if he's the head coach of her current squad or not, but he was definitely in coaching mode from what we can tell. We know he's coached other teams she was on in the past. Kobe said Gianna had aspirations to be in the WNBA, and by all accounts ... she was well on her way to getting there.
One thing that's pretty obvious from this snapshot moment is that they were both fierce competitors and loved the game they played.
4:56 PM PT -- The Mayor of Costa Mesa, Katrina Foley, just confirmed the identity of one of the other victims in the helicopter crash ... girls basketball coach Christina Mauser, who's married to Tijuana Dogs singer Matt Mauser. Matt also confirmed the news himself.
On Facebook, he wrote ... "My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much."
4:30 PM PT -- L.A. weather was extremely foggy Sunday morning, and law enforcement sources tell us even LAPD air support was grounded because of it. Flight tracker data shows Kobe's chopper appeared to first encounter weather issues as it was above the L.A. Zoo. It circled that area at least 6 times at a very low altitude -- around 875 feet -- perhaps waiting for the fog to clear.
We know the pilot contacted the control tower at Burbank Airport around 9:30 AM PT, and the tower was aware the pilot had been circling for about 15 minutes.
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The pilot eventually headed north along the 118 freeway before turning to the west, and started following above the 101 freeway around Woodland Hills, CA.
At around 9:40 AM they encounter more weather -- as in seriously heavy fog -- and the chopper turned south. This was critical, because they turned toward a mountainous area. The pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from about 1200 feet up to 2000 feet.
However, moments later -- around 9:45 AM -- they flew into a mountain at 1700 feet. Flight tracker data shows they were flying at about 161 knots.
3:49 PM PT -- Michael Jordan has spoken on Kobe's death, saying ... "I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing. Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling. I loved Kobe -- he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much."
He adds, "He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply -- and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball. Yvette joins me in sending my deepest condolences to Vanessa, the Lakers organization and basketball fans around the world."
3:01 PM PT -- The players, coaches and families at the Mamba Academy were obviously emotional when they heard the news about Kobe's death ... but came together for a moment of silence and prayer.
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Some of the Academy leaders addressed everyone at the facility -- encouraging them to support each other, grieve together and honor Kobe by living good, quality lives.
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Kids, parents and fans left a shrine to Kobe outside the Academy's doors.
2:40 PM PT -- Officials say they believe 9 people were on board -- 1 pilot and 8 passengers -- and there were no survivors. Still unclear why the chopper crashed but an investigation is underway.
2:42 PM PT -- Authorities say responders had to hike to get to the crash scene. When they finally got to the incident site, it was clear no one survived.
Prince Andrew has not been helpful at all to the FBI or federal prosecutors hoping to talk to him about Jeffrey Epstein ... so says the U.S. attorney in Manhattan.
Geoffrey S. Berman claims Queen Elizabeth's son has not responded to requests for an interview in the Epstein case, adding, he's provided "zero cooperation" to federal law enforcement.
The U.S. attorney revealed Prince Andrew's lack of assistance Monday outside Epstein's home, while answering a question at a news conference about victims of human and sex trafficking.
As you know, Epstein hanged himself in his jail cell in August while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Prince Andrew's been linked to the Epstein case due to his long and continued friendship with him ... even after Epstein's prison release in 2010 following a notorious plea deal in a separate prostitution case.
"I don't remember this."
Prince Andrew says he has wracked his brains but cannot recall any incident involving Virginia Roberts.
Andrew's also accused of having sex with an underage woman named Virginia Roberts (now Virginia Giuffre) -- who he met through Epstein -- at least 3 times from 1999 through 2002.
The Prince denied the allegations and tried, but failed, to do damage control in the scandal, including an appearance on "BBC Newsnight" in which he claimed he couldn't remember Giuffre ... despite posing in a photo with her in 2001.
Our palace sources say the issue will be handled by The Duke of York's legal team. Buckingham Palace will not be commenting on the matter.
Andrew had said he's willing to help any law enforcement agency with an investigation into Epstein "if required" ... but federal prosecutors say he's not going out of his way to lend them a hand.
Nicki Minaj's brother was just sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following the guilty verdict in his child rape trial.
Judge Robert McDonald sentenced Jelani Maraj in a New York court Monday ... several months after the verdict been reached.
As we reported ... Maraj wasfound guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child in a trial that lasted less than 3 weeks. At the time of the verdict, the Nassau County D.A. told us, "We hope that today's verdict will help the family in the healing process."
Back in 2017, Nicki visited her brother while he was locked up. We were told she only went to support her mother.
TMZ broke the story ... Nicki never testified during the trial -- despite claims made by her brother's defense team that she would.
Kobe Bryant had already made plans for his daughter, Gianna -- AKA GiGi -- to follow in his legendary footsteps by filing to trademark her very own hoops nickname.
TMZ Sports obtained the paperwork Kobe filed for "Mambacita" on Dec. 30, 2019. Of course, the name is both a tip of the hat to GiGi's father -- the Black Mamba -- and also to her own growing prowess on the hardcourt.
According to the docs ... the plan was to put "Mambacita" on all sorts of sportswear -- shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts and hoodies.
Kobe had started referring to his 13-year-old daughter by that handle on social media. In fact, one such post, back in November, is eerily poignant today. Kobe praised GiGi's offense, and also the defense of Alyssa Altobelli.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Alyssa, her mother and father -- Keri and John Altobelli -- all perished on the chopper Sunday. Alyssa, like GiGi, was a star player at Kobe's Mamba Academy.
Kobe ended the post by shouting out the "familiar fade" shot by his beloved daughter ... "#Mambacita."
Kareem Hunt had an open vodka container in his car, admitted he'd fail a drug test and was chastised by a self-proclaimed Browns fan cop during his speeding stop last week ... this according to new bombshell police video.
... Oh, and Ray Rice's elevator incident was brought up during the pullover too.
The footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows 24-year-old Hunt bolting down a freeway in his Chrysler in Rocky River, Ohio on Jan. 21.
You can see in the video, the Cleveland Browns running back blows by an officer ... quickly slams on his breaks and then is immediately pulled over to the side of the road.
The cop gets Kareem out of the car ... and while police audio doesn't pick up their conversation at that point -- it's pretty clear Hunt is emotional.
He frustratingly gestures to the cop ... and once he gets into the back of the squad car -- he appears to be sobbing over the stop.
Dr. Oz isn't panicking yet about the deadly coronavirus arriving in America ... but he says there is something very concerning about it that could become a big problem.
The doctor was outside NBC's 30 Rock Monday when he dropped some knowledge about the coronavirus -- which has now killed 80 people in China and infected roughly 3,000 more, including 5 confirmed U.S. cases in the U.S.
So, first the good news -- Oz tells us the actual virus "doesn't seem to be as deadly as we fear." Awesome, right? Well, hang on ... 'cause he also said it gets into the lungs and isn't easy to get rid of, but that's not even the worst of it.
He let us in on the real reason to fear coronavirus, and it's all about how and WHEN it spreads. Let's just say it's near impossible to detect the danger ... which could lead to a bigger outbreak in America, as well.
As for the virus' name conjuring up thoughts of cervezas? Dr. Oz explains how scientists came up with the beer-like name. No, they weren't boozing, but it's definitely unfortunate for the makers of Corona.
Meghan Markleand Prince Harryshould have no problem becoming self-sufficient ... because there are huge sums to be made for speaking engagements and book deals.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would easily command upwards of $500,000 each to speak in front of crowds ... according to folks who help celebs get such deals.
Lots of famous folks get paid huge sums to speak, and Meghan and Harry are obviously in demand. GDA Speakers, whose clients include Nicole Kidman and Diane Keaton, predicts baby Archie's parents could do a lot of business speaking in front of non-profit and volunteer-based organizations, and they'd get more than the standard $200,000 to $300,000 going to most celebs.
Of course, everyone happened to be in L.A. for the Grammys ... but Kobe was clearly on everyone's mind.
Some of the stars remembered Kobe as a hero. Others focused on the tragedy that caused his death.
Ex-NBA player Al Harrington -- who was friends with Kobe -- couldn't believe the helicopter crashed so close to Al's Calabasas home. Al says he's still trying to process everything.
Conor McGregor -- who was also in town for the Grammys -- admitted he never met Kobe, but clearly drew inspiration from the NBA star and talked about the huge impact Bryant had in Ireland, despite the fact nobody over there really cares about basketball.
It was a monumental night for Billie Eilish and it's pretty obvious everyone was ready to continue the party with her after she got the final Grammy of the night.
Billie and scores of other music stars on Sunday night hit up Grammy after-parties scattered all over L.A. She showed up to Universal Music Group's party at Rolling Greens Nursery in L.A. The 18-year-old singer hauled in 5 Grammys ... including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist.
Billie was dressed for her big moment -- rocking Gucci from head-to-toe. Lewis Capaldi joined her at that party too. His "Someone You Love" was nominated for Song of the Year.
Another huge bash went down for Republic Records' party at 1 Hotel in WeHo. Channing Tatum and Jessie J showed up for that shindig.
Hillary Clinton reacted to the horrible news of Kobe Bryant's death the same way as everyone else -- she was stunned, momentarily speechless ... then heartbroken.
The former Secretary of State was at Sundance in Park City, UT Sunday following the premiere of her new docuseries, "Hillary" ... and we broke the tragic news to her.
Hillary came back around later and touched on the passing of the NBA legend, saying she couldn't believe it until she checked her phone ... and felt anguished that it was real.
She called Kobe's death an "incredible loss ... in every way," echoing the sentiments of millions still reeling from the sad news.
We broke the story ... Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna and 7 other people -- later identified as John Altobelli (56), Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester (13), Christina Mauser and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
Tributes from celebrities and fans around the world have been pouring in ever since, including at the Grammys Sunday night held at Staples Center in L.A. ... where Kobe played the final 17 years of his Hall of Fame career.
Kobe Bryant loomed large in the minds of all the musicians at the Grammy Awards -- which was evident in Alicia Keys' touching opening tribute to the late NBA legend.
This year's host started Sunday night's show with some solemn words for the crowd, acknowledging Kobe's death right off the bat by saying that everyone there was feeling "crazy sadness" ... adding that L.A., the U.S. and the world had lost a great one.
She went on to say, "We're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built." The Grammys are being held at the STAPLES Center ... so she's correct there. The building even lit up his two jerseys in the rafters as AK spoke.
Alicia asked the audience to hold Kobe, Gianna and all the other victims in the helicopter crash in their thoughts, prayers and spirits as their families mourned. Then came a huge moment ... she brought out Boyz II Men and sang "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye."
TMZSports.com
Just outside, fans were paying their respects to their hometown hero ... but some weren't so happy the Grammys were continuing at all. You can hear several people shouting, "F**k the Grammys!" in what appeared to be a spontaneous protest of sorts.
Hopefully, they know that Kobe got his due respect behind closed doors.
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