Michael Owen Baker / AP
People gather at a memorial near Staples Center after the death of Laker legend Kobe Bryant Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles.
Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 | 5:59 p.m.
Purple and gold lights will flicker off the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign beginning Wednesday morning to pay tribute to the nine victims killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Southern California, including Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna, Clark County officials said.
Clark County commissioners announced an 11 a.m. ceremony in which they will turn on the lights, the colors of which are often switched to honor various causes.
The crash that killed Bryant — the retired Los Angeles Lakers icon — rocked the sports world and beyond, with scores of mourners sending an outpour of support.
The investigation into the crash, reported in a mountainous region Calabasas, Calif., was ongoing.
After Bryant’s death Sunday, local tourism officials scrapped plans to roll out the city’s new advertising campaign. Instead, marquees on the tourist corridor read, “LA, our hearts go out to you…RIP Kobe,” according to reports.
According to the Los Anegles Times, the victims were Kobe Bryant, 41; Gianna Bryant, 13; John Altobelli, 56; Keri Altobelli, 46; Alyssa Altobelli, 13; Sarah Chester, 45; Payton Chester, 13; Ara Zobayan, 50, and Christina Mauser, 38.
