Today marks the one year anniversary of the beloved Christina Victoria Grimmie who was fatally shot and killed last year by a crazed fan named Kevin Loibl after her concert while signing autographs in Orlando, Florida. Although it has been a year since Christina was taken, her legacy will continue to live on and #TeamGrimmie, her family, and friends are all making this possible. The singer was buried June 16, 2016, in New Jersey. Her family and fans carried out several candlelight vigils in her honour.
Born March 12, 1994, in Marlton, New Jersey, Grimmie began singing when she was just six years old. She later went on to learn how to play the piano and at fifteen years old she began posting videos of herself singing on Youtube. Her covers of songs by Miley Cyrus, Nelly, and other pop stars caught the attention of Selena Gomez and her managers, who signed the young singer.
In 2011, the New Jersey native went from covering hits from the Top 40 on Youtube to releasing her first EP ever titled, ‘Find Me’, which bowed at #2 on iTunes Over Top Albums Chart and #11 on Billboard’s Top Digital Albums Chart. She was also given the opportunity to open up for Selena Gomez’s North American tour and teamed with Taio Cruz during a stunning American Music Awards pre-show performance. In 2013, she released her debut studio album titled, ‘With Love’. In 2014, Grimmie had auditioned for season six of NBC’s The Voice. She was a favourite on the popular singing competition show and finished as a Top 3 finalist on Team Adam.
Christina Grimmie accomplished many things in her short time on Earth and although she may not be here with us her physically, her legacy will continue to live on. As a fan of Christina Grimmie since 2009, waking up and hearing about her death honestly broke me and I couldn’t bring myself to believe what I was seeing. There is not a day that goes by that I wish she was still alive as millions of other people do as well. She was such a bundle of joy and loved everyone around her and made them feel at home. Grimmie was a God-loving girl who loved videos games and her family and friends dearly. Although she is not with us anymore, her family has done a tremendous job with making it feel like she is still around. They have kept her music alive and Christina’s legacy is continuing to live on despite her passing.
After her tragic death, the Grimmie family endeavoured to leave a legacy for the departed singer by donating proceeds from the purchase of her song, “Invisible” to establish a memorial fund in Christina’s name. Alongside the family releasing a lot of Christina’s songs for #TeamGrimie, a foundation was set up in Christina’s name. The Christina Grimmie Foundation’s mission is to provide financial, emotional and encouragement support to individuals and families who suffer from the devastating effects of gun violence; and support for families facing breast cancer diagnosis. The Christina Grimmie Foundation is to love and provide for others in a way that honours Christina’s example and her legacy.
“People aren’t born strong. People grow stronger little by little, encountering difficult situations learning not to run from them” – Christina Grimmie
On the 9th of June, a day before the first year anniversary of her death, Christina’s Grimmie’s family released her debut album, “All Is Vanity”. The album has a total of 10 songs. Christina had a tattoo of the statement, “All is Vanity” which is at the beginning of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. Grimmie’s death hasn’t put an end to her amazing voice and her legacy will continue to live on.
Click here to donate to The Christina Grimmie Foundation.
For Christina: We all wish you were still here with us but we know you’re in a better place now. Rest in peace Christina. We all love and miss you dearly. You will continue to inspire and bring joy to all of our lives every day.
