Vanessa Bryant found out about Kobe’s death in the worst imaginable way

Vanessa Bryant didn’t get word from authorities about husband Kobe Bryant’s death in January 2020 until she’d already received notifications on her phone, she revealed during a recent testimony.

Authorities declined to provide Vanessa with any information until Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was able to speak with her in person, she said during the Oct. 12 deposition, CNN reported.

“I was holding onto my phone, because obviously I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying ‘RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe,’” Vanessa said.

Vanessa said she was only informed by the sheriff’s department that her husband had died hours after she received the mobile alerts.

Nine people died in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., that killed Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Vanessa’s testimony this month came amid her lawsuit accusing authorities of taking pictures of the crash site.

She said Villanueva asked if he could do anything for her following Kobe and Gianna’s deaths.

“I said: If you can’t bring my husband and baby back, please make sure no one takes photographs of them,” Bryant testified, CNN reported. “Please secure the area. And he said: I will.”

Kobe, who was 41, played each of his 20 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, winning five championships.

He and Vanessa, 39, were married nearly 19 years and had four daughters together.