EXCLUSIVE: Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi attended Catholic mass in Newport Beach early Sunday morning and received Communion just hours before they both died in tragic crash

Gigi & Kobe Bryant

• The basketball legend and 13-year-old Gigi went to the 7am service at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach on Sunday
• The service was conducted by Father Anthony Vu, a Vietnamese parochial vicar at the church
• The father and daughter left the church and then boarded the S-76 Sikorsky helicopter to Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for Gigi's basketball practice
• A spokesman for Our Lady of the Angels confirmed to DailyMail.com that Kobe was at the early morning service Sunday
• Father Anthony Vu led the service 
• Julie Hermes, a spokeswoman for the chrch told DailyMail.com  the late basketball legend slipped in at the back of the service and left early to avoid disturbing the other parishioners
• Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi prayed together at Catholic mass at their local church hours before they both died in the tragic helicopter crash, DailyMail.com can reveal.
  The basketball legend and 13-year-old Gigi went to the 7am service at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach. They both received Communion.
  The father and daughter left the church and soon afterwards boarded the S-76 Sikorsky helicopter piloted by Ara Zobyan which was taking them to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for Gigi's basketball practice.
  The helicopter crashed into a hillside near Calabasas around 9.30am, firefighters responded to a 911 call at 9.47am. Nine people perished on board.
  A spokesman for Our Lady Queen of the Angels confirmed to DailyMail.com that Kobe was at the early morning service Sunday.
  One parishioner, who attended a later mass at the cathedral, wrote on social media: 'During mass, our priest informed us all that Kobe Bryant and his daughter attended mass this morning at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels.'