Former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, right, and his daughter Gianna Bryant attend an NBA game between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 29 in Los Angeles. Both Bryants were reported to have died in a helicopter crash about 30 miles from Los Angeles on Sunday. (AP file photo)

He earned Los Angeles’ eternal adoration during his two decades as the fierce soul of the beloved Lakers, and he was respected by basketball fans from every place with a hoop and a dream, including his native Philadelphia and in Italy, his other childhood home.

Less than four years into his retirement, Bryant was seizing new challenges and working to inspire his daughters’ generation through sports and storytelling when his next chapter ended shockingly early.

Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career all with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday at age 41.

The crash occurred in the foggy hills above Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant was killed, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, and a different person familiar with the case confirmed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also died.

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant kisses his daughter, Gianna, after defeating the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game 5 to win the NBA basketball finals in Orlando, Fla., in June 2009. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. Gianna also died in the crash. (AP file photo)

Both of the AP’s unnamed sources spoke on condition of anonymity because few details of the crash had been released publicly.

Authorities said nine people were on the helicopter, and all were presumed dead. No names were released.

Bryant lived south of Los Angeles in coastal Orange County, and he often used helicopters to save time and avoid Southern California’s notorious traffic.