Today, I'm remembering nine individuals who lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. On January 26, 2020, we nine beautiful souls whose lives were taken way too soon.

Kobe Bryant. Gianna Bryant. John Altobelli. Keri Altobelli. Alyssa Altobelli. Christina Mauser. Sarah Chester. Payton Chester. Ara Zobayan.

Imagine finding out about the death of someone close to you through a celebrity paparazzi website. Just because the news outlet wanted to be among the first to break the bombshell news to the world. The shock factor which has sent shockwaves across the world is crazy. The tragic news of Kobe Bryant's death was reported on before all of the victims of the crash could be identified, and that's what made the bearing of the news even more difficult.

TMZ has no right to call themselves a media outlet, and rightly should be sued for their destructive actions. The sheriff department didn't even have the chance to properly identify all of the victims of the horrible helicopter crash that called nine people before the reporting. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva called the actions of the media outlet "just wholly inappropriate". It is unimaginable to envision going about your everyday routine until finding out the death of someone through a media source before proper authorities were able to reach you.

It is my hope that federal authorities get to the bottom of what happened on that dark day and give the families the answers that they so desperately need and deserve. It is presumed that all nine of the victims of the crash likely died upon impact, as the plane was moving at a speed of around 160 mph. We owe these families due respect for their loss, and the power of love needed to mourn those who were lost.

The pain that the families of the victims of this crash are feeling has to be unimaginable. The story in itself is so tragic and heartbreaking. As a country, and in the world as a whole, we join forces to remember the lives of those lost and get to understand who they were. Rest in paradise.