The gossip and celebrity news site TMZ was first with the news that Kobe Bryant had died Sunday in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, Calif. The report was so early, in fact, that many social media users questioned its accuracy.

TMZ wasn’t wrong. Mr. Bryant was killed along with eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter.

But that didn’t spare TMZ from criticism even after the news was confirmed: Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon that the authorities had not contacted Mr. Bryant’s family before TMZ published its report.

“It would be extremely disrespectful to understand your loved one has perished and to learn about it from TMZ,” Mr. Villanueva said. “That is just wholly inappropriate.”