Adam Levine has offered to do whatever he can to help the family of Christina Grimmie in this time of unspeakable sorrow. The Maroon 5 frontman got to know Grimmie well during her run on The Voice in 2014, serving as her coach for several weeks on the NBC singing competition. On Friday night, however, Grimmie was shot and killed by a deranged fan while signing autographs after a concert in Orlando. In response to the tragedy, Levine reached out to Grimmie’s mother and said he wanted to pay for all funeral arrangements. “I found out this morning, that Adam Levine personally called my mother and said he will pay for the funeral and her plane flight, and I was blown away,” Christina’s brother, Marcus, wrote on Facebook yesterday. It was Marcus who wrestled Kevin James Loibl to the ground after he first opened fire on Friday, saving the lives of those around him before Loibl turned a gun on himself and pulled the trigger. Grimmie was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead a few hours later. Levine, who shared the above photo and message soon after this sad news was made public, is just one of several celebrities who have expressed their grief over Grimmie’s death online. Selena Gomez, whose stepfather served as Grimmie’s manager for a time and who toured the country with Grimmie, wrote on social media that she’s “absolutely broken” over the murder. “This is a tragic loss,” Pharrell added. “My heart goes out to @therealgrimmie’s family, friends and all the people that she touched.” Usher, meanwhile, wrote the following: “To an amazing soul and voice…may your legacy live on forever. Rest in peace beautiful, Christina.” View Slideshow: Christina Grimmie Shooting Death: Stars Pay Tribute to The Voice Alum Selena’s stepfather, Brian Teefey, also started a GoFundMe page for Grimmie’s family; it has already raised more than $150,000 to help them shoulder any financial burdens. “Words cannot begin to describe the pain I am feeling. I learned this business through the eyes of a father and Christina was like a second daughter to me,” Teefey wrote. At a candlelight vigil for Grimmie held in her New Jersey hometown of Evesham Township on Monday night, Marcus moved attendees to tears by speaking eloquently and emotionally after his late sister. “She loved this town, she loved this state, she loved singing, she loved the Lord and she loved me and she was my baby sister,” he said, concluding: “Adam Levine paid for Christina’s funeral. Selena [Gomez] is singing a song and crying [during her concert]. These people didn’t have that and we are blessed to. “She’s in a better place…. Thank you to everyone once again. I wish I could elaborate more, you guys didn’t know her like I did, so thank you. This is awesome.” View Slideshow: Christina Grimmie on The Voice: A Musical Montage
Friday night, Christina Grimmie was shot to death following a concert in a senseless act of violence by Kevin James Loibl . The 22-year-old singer and former contestant on The Voice had a spirited heart and a promising career that was cut short by this disturbed individual. Further deaths and injuries might have occurred had it not been for her brother, Marcus Grimmie, who tackled Loibl upon witnessing the attack on his sister. During the struggle, Loibl turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. Marcus, who goes by Mark, has now broken his silence by posting a heartfelt message about his sister to Facebook. “Christina was more than my sister. She was a partner in life. A superstar. A goofball. Introverted. And a friend to everyone. Genuinely,” he wrote. “But above all…she was my baby sister. She loved the Lord and her family and was always there for me and I honestly don’t know what ill do without her.” Mark then humbly asked friends and fans to share memories they have of Christina to the page to honor her life. “But please, if you are reading this far, I would love all and any of you to post pics of you and her and/or memories you have of her down in the comments,” he shared. “I will cherish it forever and always. So please do that for me.” Christina Grimmie Auditions on The Voice “Thank you all so so much. The support has been crazy and I do feel a peace. I just don’t have any words. I love you all.” A friend of Christina’s, Ashly Nicole, told E! News that Mark and his sister were “as close as can be.” “He was the perfect brother to her and he became almost like a big brother to me too,” she said. “They were only a year apart and he would always talk about how he would do anything for her. She was his world. He cared about her so much.” The 27-year-old Loibl was a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla. and traveled two hours that evening specifically to murder Christina, according to officials. Police continue to investigate a possible motive. View Slideshow: Christina Grimmie Shooting Death: Stars Pay Tribute to The Voice Alum
Another rising star has left us too soon, and in shocking fashion. Christina Grimmie, who placed in the top three on The Voice ‘s sixth season as part of Adam Levine’s team, was shot and killed last night . Grimmie, who opened for the band Before You Exit at Plaza Live, died from gunshot wounds after performing at an Orlando, Fla., concert. She was just 22 years old. While signing autographs after the performance, she was approached by a man with two guns, according to People . The man shot the singer before being tackled by her brother. He then turned the gun on himself and took his own life. “The show ended at approximately 10 o’clock,” Orlando Sgt. Wanda Miglio said during a news conference early this morning. “After that they were selling merchandise and signing autographs. We know that the suspect walked up and shot Christina at that point.” “We know that her brother tackled the suspect and that’s when the suspect shot himself.” “Her brother is a hero for saving and stopping him from not hurting anyone else.” According to WFTV, fans tweeted from inside the venue after hearing six gunshots. Grimmie’s rep confirmed her death in an official statement to People: “It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord.” “She was shot at her show in Orlando, and unfortunately didn’t survive the gun shot wounds.” “We ask at this time that you respect the privacy of her family and friends in their time of mourning.” A GoFundMe page has been set up to aid her family. NBC tweeted their devastation after hearing about the incident. “We are heartbroken,” the network wrote. “@TheRealGrimmie is a loved member of our family. Our thoughts are with her and her family. #PrayForChristina.” The Voice judge Blake Shelton responded to the news as well. “Just reading the same stuff y’all are at this point,” Shelton tweeted. “Can’t believe this..” No other details about the gunman’s motive are available at this time. Our thoughts are with the singer’s family, friends and colleagues. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten
The music world is recovering from a stunning tragedy this morning. On Friday night, The Voice alumna Christina Grimmie was killed in Orlando when a man approached her after a concert and simply opened fire. Grimmie was 22 years old. According to multiple outlets, Grimmie had just finished a show with pop rock band Before You Exit at the Plaza Live when she and the band’s members lined up for an autograph session. Soon afterward, a gunman with two weapons walked up and shot Grimmie. The artist’s brother quickly tackled the shooter, who turned a gun on himself and committed suicide. He is being hailed as a hero for saving other lives, but he could not save his sister: Grimmie was taken to a local hospital and died of her injuries early Saturday morning. In response to the tragedy, the official The Voice Twitter account sent the following message about the 2014 contestant: 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. Grimmie was signed to Island Records and was working on an album at the time of her death. The band tweeted early Sunday morning about Grimmie: “Christina was such a loving, caring, beautiful person with the biggest heart. She was an absolutely incredible musician and an even better friend.” The group referred to Grimmie as an “angel, sister and a beloved friend” and added: “We are so saddened by her passing and are completely heartbroken. Words fail to describe how much Christina means to all of us.” “She was always a constant beam of light and energy into the hearts of everyone around her. Christina Grimmie Auditions on The Voice “Her care-free spirit and her laughter constantly lit up every room she entered and she always had this glisten in her eyes which was evident in her faith. “While we know there is no sort of feeling that can replace the joy Christina brought into our lives, we know she is glistening from up in Heaven and shining down on all of us.” In conclusion, the band Tweeted: “Please join us in keeping Christina’s family as we know Jesus said, ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ “She and her talent will be missed by us all.” We send our heartfelt condolences to Christina’s family members, friends and loved ones. Added a rep for the young singer: It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord. She was shot at her show in Orlando, and unfortunately didn’t survive the gun shot wounds. We ask at this time that you respect the privacy of her family and friends in their time of mourning. View Slideshow: 27 Musicians Who Died Too Young
We're officially in the homestretch for Game of Thrones Season 6, and if even one of the fan theories about the upcoming episodes is accurate, we should be in for quite the finale. Folks are predicting the deaths of hated villains, and unexpected returns for characters long thought dead . (Why not? We already had one of those on last week's episode !) Clearly, anything goes in this post-book world we're living in, so we'll limit our speculation to Sunday's episode, “No One.” Tyrion will return after a two week hiatus, and he'll look vaguely troubled about something. Call us psychic! Watch Game of Thrones online to get caught up in time for the beginning of what's sure to be thrilling end. 1. Troubled Tyrion Tyrion looks less than thrilled in this photo. And he’s one of the characters who’s actually managed to improve his situation this season! 2. Jaime in a Jam Looks like a bad week for the Lannisters. Jaime seems vaguely pissed too. Of course, he has to deal with the Freys and Brynden Tully, so we can’t really blame him. 3. Cersei and The Mountain Cersei has the undead Mountain as her protector. So she has reason to smile – just don’t expect her to do so. 4. Tommen on the Iron Throne Looks like we’re in for lots of Lannister angst this week. Sure, Tommen’s on the Iron Throne, but heavy is the head that wears the crown, as they say. 5. It’s Lancel Lannister! Did we mention that this appears to be a Lannister-heavy episode? Sure, he’s “Brother Lancel” these days, but deep down, he’s still a Lannister. 6. Another Red Priestess! They’re everywhere these days! This one doesn’t have a name yet, but she’s played by actress Melanie Liburd. View Slideshow
Christina Grimmie, a third place finalist on The Voice , was shot dead after a concert Friday night in Orlando, Fla. She was 22. The gunman approached and opened fire on the rising star as she was signing autographs just before Grimmie's brother tackled the man, who then shot himself. Grimmie did not know her killer; police suspect he was a deranged fan. The world mourns the young singer as we all try to make sense of this shocking act of violence. Stars and have taken to social media to pay tribute to the late Grimmie. Read their heartfelt tributes below. 1. Adam Levine Adam Levine, who was Grimmie’s coach on The Voice, shared the photo above to Instagram, writing, “I’m sad, shocked and confused. We love you so much Grimmie. We are all praying hard that you can pull through this…this just isn’t fair.” 2. Blake Shelton “I’m stunned and disgusted and heartbroken that we lost that sweet little girl… Keeping @TheRealGrimmie family in my heart and mind,” Shelton tweeted. 3. Christina Aguilera “So sad passing of @TheRealGrimmie. Beautiful member of #TheVoice family & true #Fighter. My heart goes out to her family, friends & fans. xo,” wrote The Voice coach Christina Aguilera. 4. Carson Daly “So sad about @TheRealGrimmie. I’m still in shock. She was special. Had IT. Talented. Kind. Funny. Loving. Courageous. We hurt w her family,” tweeted The Voice host. 5. Before You Exit Before You Exit, the band Grimmie opened for Friday night, tweeted “Today we lost an angel, sister, and a beloved friend. #RipChristina” alongside a longer tribute calling her “a loving, caring, beautiful person with the biggest heart.” 6. Jordan Smith The Voice season 9 winner Jordan Smith tweeted, “Prayers going up for @TheRealGrimmie right now. So heartbroken to hear this news. #PrayForChristina,” later writing, “A star has been snuffed out. An amazing story unwritten.” View Slideshow
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