Kobe And Gianna Bryant Laid To Rest In Private California

A private funeral was reportedly held in Corona Del Mar, California on Friday (February 7) for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

According to Entertainment Tonight, the two were laid to rest among close family and friends before the February 24 public ceremony slated to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

RELATED: Public Memorial Service Scheduled For Victims In Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash

“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti previously said of the public memorial service, according to E! News: “We are one city that believes in each other, believes in something bigger than ourselves. “We will absolutely do everything to make sure that this is done so that everybody can come to it as well.”

Kobe, Gianna, along with seven other people, were killed on January 26 while taking a helicopter to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in nearby Thousand Oaks. The aircraft crashed in Calabasas and killed everyone on board.