I woke up early on Saturday, June 11th shocked to hear the news that Christina Grimmie had been fatally shot after her Orlando show the night before, and I'm sure I was not the only one who felt this way. At first I was skeptical about what I was reading on my Facebook page. She was only 22 years old, and I felt that there was no way she could have been killed. But after doing a little research, I was saddened to find the tragedy had been true.
After opening for the band Before You Exit, Christina Grimmie was signing autographs for her fans outside of the Plaza Live venue when the shooter opened fire. Right after she had been hit, Christina's brother Marcus "Mark" Grimmie, tackled the shooter to prevent him from hurting Christina (anymore than she already had been) or anyone else. The gunman, after being tackled, fatally shot himself. Christina was then rushed to the hospital where she died shortly after.
"Christina was more than my sister. She was a partner in life," he posted. " A superstar. A goofball. Introverted. And a friend to everyone. Genuinely. But above all...she was my baby sister." - Mark Grimmie
Being a fan of Grimmie's for years, I was heartbroken - to say the least. She was not only an aspiring singer. She was also a humanitarian, Internet phenomenon and role model. At the age of 15, she created her widely known YouTube channel, zeldaxlove64. She captured the Internet world by storm with her first cover of "Don't Wanna Be Torn" by Hannah Montana - one of which being a personal favorite of mine.
If her phenomenal YouTube career wasn't enough, she also wowed the judges of the NBC show "The Voice" in 2014 with her rendition of "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. The world was stunned with the insane note she held and soon she became the talk of all news headlines. Her journey throughout the show helped her to sculpt herself as an artist. With the help of her mentor, Adam Levine, and her fans, she placed third on the show and was soon signed to Island Records. She went on to release 2 EPs, Find Me (2011) and Side A (2016), and her first full album, With Love (2014).
Her "Voice family", consisting of coaches and other contestants, and other well-known celebrities took to social media to send out their condolences to the family and reminisce the late singer.
The official Twitter of The Voice tweeted out saying, "There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice. Our hearts go out to the friends, fans and family of @TheRealGrimmie."
Throughout her career, Christina dedicated her time to several non-profits. She collaborated with the Humane Society of the United States to perform her redition Bonnie Tyler‘s “I Need a Hero.” She also performed at the UNICEF and City of Hope concerts to raise money for the humanitarian organization and for a cancer treatment and research hospital. She campaigned for peta2 to promote adopting shelter animals.
Christina Grimmie was an unbelievably talented singer and human being. She captured the eyes and ears of the world with her remarkable vocals and amazing piano covers. By the age of 22, she conquered the music industry while remaining humble and true to her faith. Her bubbly attitude and all-around greatest will be smiled upon for years to come. Christina was adored by her fans, known as Team Grimmie, and fellow artists. She will be greatly missed.
If you want to support the Gimmie family in anyway, here is the GoFund Me link to directly help the family: Christina Grimmie Go Fund Me.
