Christina Grimmie, a beloved singer/songwriter who got her start with Youtube, and went on to place in the sixth season of The Voice, passed away this morning after taking gunshot wounds after a show. She’d been on tour with pop-rock artist Before You Exit, and they’d just finished performing in Orlando, Florida.
While signing autographs for her fans, Christina was approached by a lone gunman and shot multiple times. Mark, her brother, immediately took down the assailant before others could be harmed. In the midst of the struggle, the gunman managed to take his own life.
Christina was pronounced dead a couple hours later.
To Christina’s family and friends: I am sorry. From my gut to my heart, I am sorry.
If you are not familiar with the name, Christina Grimmie had humble beginnings as a fledgling Youtube cover artist, beginning at the age of 15. Since then, she has released multiple EP’s: “Find Me” and “Side A,” as well as one full studio album: With Love. Breaching the mainstream, Christina tried out on singing show The Voice, where she placed in Season 6’s top three.
From the very beginning, Christina was public and proud of her Christian faith and walk. After her time on The Voice, she got the verse “All is Vanity” tattooed on her right arm, a tribute and reminder from Ecclesiastes. Always modest and never profane, she was an outstanding exception in her industry. Her favorite Christian songs were “In Christ Alone” which she covered a couple years back, and Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons.” She is quoted as being heavily inspired by contemporary Christian artist Stacie Orrico in the early years:
“She has a really awesome voice and I was so drawn to it. I think the reason I do have a soul voice is because I grew up listening to her and she was my huge, huge influence. I wanted to sound just like her, I wrote songs that kinda sounded like something she would do.”