Singer. Humanitarian. Inspiration.
Those three words are what ran through the heads of her family, friends and fans when the news of Christina Grimmie's untimely passing surfaced on June 11. Just 22 years old, the NBC "Voice" alumna was fatally shot after her show in Orlando, FL at the Plaza Live theater during her autograph signing after opening for band Before You Exit. Subsequent to gunman Kevin James Liobl, 27, opening fire, Christina's brother Marcus "Mark" tackled Liobl to the ground, preventing further harm of the other 120 people present, before the gunman fatally shot himself. Christina was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition where she died a few hours later.
"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
Christina was more than an aspiring pop star; she was a digital phenomenon, a member of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and a role model. In 2009, at the age of 15, she began her YouTube career. Like many of her fans, I started watching Christina Grimmie's YouTube covers when shortly after, the first I ever saw being Christina Aguilera's "Hurt" five years ago.
She took the internet by storm, even before her "Voice" audition in season 6, where she caught all four coaches' attention with her rendition of "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus (who could forget that insane note she held out?). Her journey on "The Voice" helped her shape herself as an artist. With the help of her coach Adam Levine, Christina made it to the finale, placing third. Her "Voice" family, including coaches and other contestants, as well as other celebrities turned to social media to share their heavy hearts and send their condolences to the Grimmie family.
Before her passing, Christina released 2 EPs, Find Me (2011) and Side A (2016) along with an LP, With Love (2013), which featured the single "Liar, Liar," a personal favorite of mine. In 2015, she was awarded the iHeart Radio Rising Star along with her nomination for the Teen Choice Awards' Choice Web Star: Music.
In remembrance, "The Voice" is featuring her performance from 2014 of the title track off of her LP on their YouTube page. One fan, "A R I E L," commented, "They talk about death. I talk about how she made us all live with music."
Christina advocated for animal rights through the HSUS, where she was a spokesperson. She performed "I Need A Hero" at the 2015 To The Rescue! New York Gala to help raise support for the rescue, care, placement and potential rehoming of thousands of animals who are in need.
“The entire universe at The Humane Society of the United States is grieving today with the family of the beloved Christina Grimmie. She didn’t just possess a beautiful voice – she was a beautiful soul who used her talents to spread a message that we humans should not mete out violence to animals. We will carry her message forward, despite the pain we feel."
– Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO
She was an inspiration and a role model to girls all over the world. She refused to wear "skimpy outfits" in order to gain record sales, because she wanted to stay true to her self; in a world where it's hard to believe in yourself and not hide behind a facade, this was truly a wonderful statement that she shared with her fans, hopefully inspiring young girls that they can succeed without conforming to (what appear to be) industry demands.
Her killer seemed to have no personal connection to her and allegedly traveled to Orlando for the sole purpose of shooting Christina, with plans to travel back to where he came from. According to the police, he carried two loaded handguns, additional ammunition and a hunting knife that evening. The police are currently searching through his computer, phone and other belongings to see if they can detect a motive for the tragic crime.
The young musician was ambitious and had hopeful plans for the near future, including new music and another tour, which was exposed in her last interview before her premature decease, conducted by PopCrush. She wanted to get another full length album out by the end of this year, which would have been her second.
"So much awesome new music, I have so much stuff coming up!"
Christina is survived by her parents Albert and Tina Grimmie and brother Marcus Grimmie. Her longtime manager, Brian Teefey, created a GoFundMe account to help the late singer's family out with expenses in their time of need. With a goal of $4,000, the account is nearly at $100,000 within a day. Christina was like a daughter to Teefey, and he only wanted to see her achieve her musical dreams.
Christina will be missed by many but live on through her music.
