Vanessa Bryant breaks silence on death of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna with emotional tribute

Thank you for all the prayers.

We definitely need them, Vanessa writes in the caption along with a photo of the Bryant family.

There arent 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.

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.

Our love for them is endless and thats to say, immeasurable.

I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them.

Have them here with us, forever, she says.

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.

Anyone can donate at MambaOnThree.org.

It later emerged that his daughterGianna was also on board.

Investigators are still investigating to determine the cause of the crash.