Christina Grimmie, age 22, received the attention of YouTube viewers everywhere, under her handle name “zeldaxlove64.” She uploaded the first video of her singing to YouTube on July 17, 2011, according to IMDB. Her YouTube subscribers on reached one million uploads of her first video, in 204. Grimmie was known for her gamer shirts and poofy black hair. She tagged her fans as, Team Grimmie and Frands, which is a combination of friends and fans.
The singer was discovered by Selena Gomez’s stepdad, Brian Teefey. He contacted Grimmie’s brother, Marcus, to ask if he could manage the young and upcoming singer. Grimmie sang at one of Gomez’s concerts, during her summer tour, “We Owned the Night,” in 2013, as well as Gomez’s tour “Stars Dance.”
Prior to her being found by Gomez’s father Teefey, the singer had already released a CD with 8 songs called “Find Me,” in 2011. On Season 6 finale of “The Voice,” in 2014, Grimmie who was on team Adam Levine, took third place.
Grimmie lost her life on June 10, 2016, she will be missed by her fans worldwide. The young singer, who was from a small southern New Jersey town, was killed by Kevin James Loibl, 27, while signing autographs after a show in Orlando, Florida. The shooter had been carrying two handguns and two additional magazines for the guns, as well as a hunting knife, according to CNN News.
Her brother, became the hero of the other people who were at the signing after he attacked the gunman to the ground, possibly saving the lives of 120 fans, as reported by CNN. On June 13, 2016, hundreds of mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil in Evesham, New Jersey. Several speakers which included Mayor Randy Brown, friends, and family spoke on behalf of the lost singer. The vigil lasted approximately 390 minutes and was held at the Marlton Memorial Sports Complex, according to “Billboard.” Many of the people who attended the vigil wore T-shirts that said “Team Grimmie” on them.
Grimmie’s brother spoke at the vigil taking a moment to remember those lost in the Orlando, Florida massacre at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, stating that the tragic events were only four miles away from where they had been staying in Orlando. He continued to say that coming home to such a tragedy left him at a loss for words, and his heart goes out the victims, survivors, and their families, As reported in “Billboard,” he has been overwhelmed by the love coming from Grimmie’s hometown and the entertainment industry. He commented that it is sad the victims of the mass shooting do not have this same support. Grimmie said this about the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting:
These people didn’t have that and we are blessed to.
Her loved ones which included, Pete Innaurato, Lauren Longo, and Sarah Lubebkemann also shared their memories of the singer after her brother’s heartfelt speech saying, Grimmie enjoyed working with the elderly and entertained them during Christmas time with a group of carolers to spread cheer. She was loved by one elderly woman because of her voice and she asked Grimmie to sing a song by Elvis Presley called “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.”
By Tracy Blake
Edited by Cathy Milne
Sources:
Billboard: Christina Grimmie’s Brother Delivers Emotional Speech For Orlando Shooting Victims at Candlelight Vigil
Biography: Christina Grimmie
The Washington Post: ‘The Voice’ finale: Did Christina Grimmie, Josh Kaufman or Jake Worthington take home the prize?
CNN: Orlando police ID man who killed ‘Voice’ singer Christina Grimmie
Image Courtesy of Tracy Blake’s Screen Shot
