Fans gather at Staples Center to mourn the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant

The world is grieving over the shocking loss of Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA's all-time greats.

Fans gathered outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles to mourn and pay tribute to Kobe, who died after a helicopter crash near Los Angeles.

Mourners wore their own Bryant basketball jerseys, lit candles, carried signs with images and offered flowers for the "Black Mamba" legend.

A digital billboard at the LA Live Plaza near the Staples Center displayed a photo of Bryant which read "In Loving Memory of Kobe Bryant 1978-2020."

The 41-year-old Lakers player was with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Mambacita" and seven others on board when the helicopter crashed on a hillside in Calabasas northwest of downtown Los Angeles. They were en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.

The Ventura County Star reported Kobe was supposed to coach Gianna's team in a tournament, citing players and coaches at the sports facility.

Kobe played for the LA Lakers for two decades. An all-star for 18 years, Kobe has five NBA championships under his belt.

The basketball star also bagged two Olympic gold medals when he was with the US team in 2008 and 2012.

After the 2015-2016 NBA season, he retired after mounting injuries.

Bryant and his wife, Vanessa Laine, had four daughters: Gianna, Natalia, Bianca and Capri, who was born in June 2019. 

Long live Kobe Bryant. — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News