Kobe Bryant's eldest Natalia DID NOT kill herself after father and sister's death, viral video is a hoax
Rumors making the rounds that Natalia Bryant, Kobe Bryant's eldest daughter, killed herself following her father's and sister's death in a helicopter crash last month, are hoax.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported that a similar rumor involving her mother, Vanessa, had spread like wildfire on social media in the first week of February after what was purportedly a BBC News article, was shared thousands of times on Facebook.
A screenshot then made the rounds across the internet and read 'R.I.P Vanessa Bryant 1982-2020'. It had a BBC News logo plastered on it on the bottom right corner. It was claimed that Vanessa had committed suicide.
Snopes reported that the video was a hoax meant to capitalize on the deaths of Kobe and his teenage daughter, Gianna, who, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
A new video claiming Natalia has killed herself has been fashioned in the same manner. A video report that's been made to look as if it came from BBC News, was circulated on social media earlier this week and similarly started with a screenshot containing the words "R.I.P. Natalia Bryant."
After a few seconds, it cuts to a news anchor at a desk saying: "The shock is still raw for fans of the late..." as the screenshot hangs in the background before abruptly cutting back to a full screen of the screenshot again before the anchor can finish her sentence.
As was the case with the Vanessa Bryant death hoax, this clip of the anchor has been lifted from a segment where an unrelated incident was being reported, according to Snopes. Furthermore, the news anchor is Fox 32 Chicago's Dawn Hasbrouck and not anyone affiliated with the BBC.
The news was also carried only by suspicious websites such as w0rldnews.g0ldenbuzzers.com and t0pstories.caldomns.com, neither of which have any association with the BBC.
The hoax comes a few weeks after it was claimed that Natalia had to be rushed to the hospital after she heard the news about her father's and sister's death. The 17-year-old, who reportedly suffers from asthma, is said to have suffered a reaction and couldn't stop hyperventilating, prompting her to be taken in for treatment.