Christina Grimmie: 9 years since 'The Voice' singer's death by obsessed fan in Orlando
9 years since Christina Grimmie's death
It has been nine years since singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed in Orlando, Florida. Deputies said the YouTube sensation was gunned down by an obsessed fan following a performance at The Plaza Live in June 2016.
ORLANDO, Fla. - It has been nine years since 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed in Orlando, Florida.
Deputies said the YouTube sensation was gunned down by an obsessed fan following a performance at The Plaza Live in June 2016.
Grimmie was participating in a meet-and-greet event, signing autographs and selling merchandise, when she was shot multiple times by the suspect, 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl.
Grimmie’s brother, Marcus, tackled Loibl immediately after Christina was shot. Loibl then fatally shot himself.
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: Singer Christina Grimmie performs in concert at Irving Plaza on March 10, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Those who knew Christina previously spoke well of the aspiring star.
"She's awesome. She loved this town. She loved this state. She loved to sing. She loved the Lord, and she loved me," her brother said.
Grimmie was a finalist on the singing competition show The Voice. Her coach from the show, Adam Levine, paid for her funeral.
"Behati and I are absolutely devastated and heartbroken by Christina Grimmie’s death. Our hearts go out to her family," he tweeted at the time.
After her death, her brother started the Christina Grimmie Foundation to help support families affected by gun violence.
Her family also filed a lawsuit against the venue where she was murdered and the concert promoter. However, they ultimately dropped the suit for reasons unknown.
In April, her brother posted on social media stating he is "working on something to help preserve Christina’s full story."
"If you have any old videos or photos of Christina that aren’t online anywhere- especially from small events, older content, and/or stuff she did that never made it to her channel. Even things from the Tinychat days, random videos she might’ve sent or made for fun but never uploaded. Anything like that would mean a lot! We’re trying to gather anything that might’ve flown under the radar," he wrote. "If you’ve got something, feel free to email it to us at zxlmusicinc@gmail.com or post it right here! Thanks so much for keeping her memory alive with us!"
In March, on what would have been Grimmie's 31st birthday, her foundation posted the following message:
The Source: This story was written based on previous FOX 35 reporting which included details shared by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and online court records.