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RIP Mamba: On Kobe Bryant's 42nd birth anniversary emotional fans say they 'still can't believe he's gone'

It's been seven months since Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash and fans took to Twitter to wish their idol a happy birthday, which is on August 23

It's been seven months since 18-time All-Star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash. August 23 would have been Kobe's 42nd birthday.

According to a USA Today report when the Los Angeles Lakers meet the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA playoff series on August 24, they will wear their special "Black Mamba" uniforms in Game 4, the two numbers Kobe wore as a Laker. The Board of Supervisors in Orange County, where Kobe and his family resided, and are still residing, have designated it Kobe Bryant Day. The city of Los Angeles proclaimed August 24 Kobe Bryant Day in 2016.

With Kobe's birthday around the corner, his fans took to Twitter to remember the great player. One user tweeted, "Still can’t believe you’re gone. Still can’t believe you’re not witnessing what’s going on in the sports world right now. RIP, Mamba. Happy birthday, Kobe. We miss you." 

Another said, "Happy birthday to the greatest to ever do it. man you woulda been 42 today. still can't believe you’re gone & honestly a piece of me died when you died. mamba forever."

Another one wished him saying, "Happy birthday to the greatest player to ever wear the purple and gold, Kobe Bryant. You are forever in our hearts, and you continue to inspire us all with your mentality. Rest in paradise, we miss you."

And some remembered his words and said, "Kobe Bryant, 2008: 'Have a good time. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.'"

Some called him, 'Greatest of all time' and said, "Happy Birthday @kobebryant Forever grateful for everything you have done for the game of basketball and for me. Mamba Mentality for life. LEGEND FOREVER. Laker Nation winning this one for you #goat." Some called him a 'hero' and said, "@kobebryant the man, the myth, the legend. My childhood idol. My adult idol. Someone who even in his afterlife, inspires me to be better. The world misses you. Happy birthday hero."

On January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter which was headed from the Southern Los Angeles area to the northern Los Angeles suburbs crashed in Calabasas, California. The flight was carrying nine people including Kobe, his daughter Gianna, baseball coach John Altobelli, five other passengers and the pilot. Everyone on board was killed in the crash. Gavin Masak, who lives nearby the crash site, told CBS News of the moment the helicopter crashed. "It wasn't exactly like an explosion sound but it was like a loud boom. It sounded like a helicopter, but it sounded like a jet-like it was loud, so I went inside and told my dad what was happening. So when I came out I saw smoke on the hill but it wasn't like a big, black cloud of smoke, it was just grey," he said. Other eyewitnesses told TMZ they heard the helicopter's engine sputtering before it went down. 

Kobe had some great achievements in his lifetime including being the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also an NBA scoring champion twice and a two-time Olympic champion. ‎

He was remembered during the 2020 Grammy Awards too as host Alicia Keys said, "We're all feeling crazy sadness right now. Because earlier today Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero. We're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built." After his death, the NBA issued a statement saying it was "devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna". "For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with absolute devotion to winning," it said.

His death sparkled multiple tributes and remembrances from people around the world including those of incumbent US President Donald Trump and former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. According to a BBC report, a few days after his death, fans gathered at a makeshift memorial for Bryant in front of the Staples Center, where the Lakers play, laying flowers and basketballs in memory of the star. Here is a look at how the world paid tribute to the great player around the country.