Christina Victoria Grimmie (March 12, 1994 – June 11, 2016) was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice and for her covers of hit songs by contemporary pop musicians. In June 2011, she released her debut EP, Find Me. Her studio album With Love was released in 2013. A second EP, Side A, was released in 2016.
In 2014, Grimmie took part in season 6 of The Voice and finished in third place. Adam Levine, her coach on the show, announced in the finale that regardless of the results he would sign her to his label 222 Records. Lil Wayne also offered to sign her to his label, Young Money Entertainment. She was signed with Island Records for a short time before being dropped.
Grimmie died on June 11, 2016, of gunshot wounds inflicted in an attack following her concert performance in Orlando, Florida.
On June 10, 2016, Grimmie was shot by 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl of St. Petersburg, Florida, while she signed autographs following her performance with Before You Exit at The Plaza Live in Orlando. Loibl then fatally shot himself after being tackled by Grimmie’s brother Marcus. Christina was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition; she died early the following day.
The Orlando Police Department reported that Loibl did not have an arrest record in his home county, and did not appear to know Grimmie personally. A department spokesman said Loibl had traveled to Orlando “apparently to commit this crime”; Loibl had brought with him two handguns, two extra magazines full of ammunition, and a hunting knife. Her funeral will take place on June 17, 2016.
Following confirmation of Grimmie’s death, The Voice tweeted, “There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice”. Her coach, Adam Levine, wrote that he and his wife were “absolutely devastated and heartbroken … This is yet another senseless act of extreme violence. I am left stunned and confused how these things can conceivably continue to happen in our world”. Longtime friend and former tour-mate Selena Gomez wrote, “My heart is absolutely broken. I miss you, Christina”. Before You Exit, with whom Grimmie had performed before the shooting, tweeted, “Today we lost an angel, sister, and a beloved friend”.
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