Baseball coach, his wife and daughter killed in Kobe Bryant crash

John Altobelli, Orange Coast College baseball coach, was also a victim of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, basketball star, on Sunday.

Bryant was travelling with Gianna, his 13-year-old daughter, and other passengers when his private helicopter crashed. There was no survivor.

But in a new report by CNN, the 56-year-old Altobelli, Keri, his wife, and Alyssa, their daughter — who is said to be 13 and played for the same basketball team as Gianna — were identified among those who lost their lives.

They were among the nine people aboard Bryant’s Sikorsky S-76 helicopter when it crashed in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

It is believed that the victims were being transported to Thousand Oaks to watch a game.

Ron La Ruffa, OCC assistant coach, also bemoaned the death of Altobelli to CNN.

“It was something John routinely did, flying up with Kobe to attend games with his daughter,” La Ruffa said.

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli. He was a coach, a colleague, a mentor and a friend at OCC for 27 years.

Read our full statement at https://t.co/ttTGWOZKnm pic.twitter.com/ch8ilLHHl4

— Orange Coast College (@orangecoast) January 26, 2020

Orange Coast College also issued a statement confirming his death. It urged the media and public to respect the privacy of “John’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli. He was a coach, a colleague, a mentor and a friend at OCC for 27 years,” it wrote.

“Orange Coast College asks the media and the public to respect the privacy of John’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Altobelli was honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2019 as an ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year.

“We have lost a member of our OCC family, and our hearts are broken,” said OCC President Angelica Suarez.

“Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus — a beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community.”