Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa has said that she learned about the NBA star and their daughter's death after seeing "RIP Kobe" notifications pop up on her phone.

The mom-of-four suffered unimaginable heartbreak on January 26, 2020, when her LA Lakers star husband and their daughter Gianna, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash.

Bryant, who is suing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for invasion of privacy and negligence, said during a deposition that while she was informed about the crash through a family assistant, she was not aware that her husband and daughter had died, BBC News reports.

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"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'," she said, according to BBC.

She said that before seeing the notifications on her phone, she thought that her husband and daughter were among the survivors of the crash.

Kobe and his daughter Gianna were on their way to a girls’ basketball game on 26 January 2020, when their chopper crashed in the hills of West Los Angeles amid foggy weather.

All nine people aboard the helicopter died in the crash in California's Calabasas city.

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"My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter," she said during the deposition.

In her suit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Bryant said officials circulated graphic images of the crash site and the victims' remains.

Sheadded that she specifically pleaded Sheriff Alex Villanueva to ensure that no one took photos at the crash site.

Her lawsuit alleges that first responders at the site shared the photos with a bartender and others passed around "gratuitous photos of the dead children, parents and coaches," reported AP.

Watch Vanessa pay tribute to her late husband at the Hall of Fame ceremony:

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It comes as Los Angeles County officials argued on October 15, that Vanessa and other plaintiffs should undergo a psychiatric test to determine whether their emotional distress was caused by the leaked photos or the actual crash itself, per CNN.

County officials say this should be done before the trial begins in February 2022. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for 5 November.

"Plaintiffs cannot claim that they are suffering from ongoing depression, anxiety, and severe emotional distress and then balk at having to support their claims," the county said in its motion, calling the test "crucial" for the defense.

Vanessa's attorneys and other plaintiffs have since slammed the motion, describing it as "bullying" by resorting to "scorched earth discovery tactics".

Featured image credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa first heard of his death online after seeing 'RIP Kobe' notifications on her phone