Minute and eight seconds of silence for Kobe Bryant

Radio stations in southern California state held a minute and eight seconds of silence for Kobe Bryant (41) on Monday afternoon at noon (local time). The basketball player started his career at the local LA Lakers with shirt number 8.

The tribute was an initiative of branch organization Southern California Broadcasters Association. In a call to the radio stations it also called on the broadcasters to think about the first song that could be heard after the silence. “Make sure it is appropriate and reflects the feelings in the sports world.”

Presenters from the largest radio station in the city, KIIS FM, talked about difficult days for the city and called on listeners to give their loved ones an extra hug today for the one-minute and eight-second silence.

On Sunday evening, Los Angeles’s mayor Eric Garcetti had the town hall light up in purple and gold, the colors of the Lakers. On Monday, he left the city flags at municipal institutions half-mast. “He will live on forever in the heart of Los Angeles,” the mayor said about Kobe Bryant in a memo he shared on Twitter. “He will be remembered as one of our greatest heroes.”