US President Donald Trump said he was sorry to hear reports that basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California.
"That is terrible news!" Trump tweeted.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles, celebrity website TMZ reported, saying five people are confirmed dead in the incident.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said there were no survivors from the morning crash on a rugged hillside in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles.
The helicopter was described as a Sikorsky S-76, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
TMZ was the first US media outlet to report that Bryant was among the fatalities, with the mayor of Calabasas later confirming the death of the 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers icon to AFP.
Bryant's death sent shockwaves throughout the world, with fellow stars and celebrities expressing disbelief at the news.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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