Christina Grimmie’s Family Leads Tribute Five Years After Her Tragic Murder
Michael Tran/FilmMagic Reading Time: 3 minutes
Christina Grimmie’s friends, family, and fans are remembering her five years after her tragic murder in 2016. The Voice star was on her rise to fame when Kevin James Loibl shot her at the Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, Florida. She was pronounced dead hours later after the gunman took his own life.
Remembering Christina Grimmie After Her Tragic 2016 Murder
Christina’s killer was later said to be an obsessed fan, according to his Best Buy co-workers. He was reportedly angry after seeing her pictured with her boyfriend Stephen Rezza leading up to the attack. Stephen paid tribute to Christina on Instagram this week to honor her memory.
“I miss you, Christina,” he wrote on Instagram. “I miss racing around Hollywood with you. I miss being in the studio at Henson until the sun came up writing music & dreaming about our future together. I miss going to our favorite diners in the middle of the night & watching you pick at chicken fingers & chicken noodle soup & sharing a shake with you.”
The Grimmie family has also made sure to keep Christina’s legacy alive by releasing her music posthumously over the years. In April, they announced they will be working with producer Dave Audé on her 2015 song “Back To Life.” This was only the start of remixes and collaborations that have been released over the past few months.
“She impacts me every day in different ways, and it’s more about what’s been taken out of the equation to realize what kind of daily impact she had,” Christina’s brother Marcus told Insider.
The family launched the Christina Grimmie Foundation in 2017. Their mission is to help raise funds for families who have been impacted by gun violence. This year, the charity held a virtual concert on the five-year anniversary of Christina’s death.
Christina first rose to fame as a YouTuber posting viral covers with artists like Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider. They both performed at the event along with YouTuber Tiffany Alvord who posted a tribute to Christina on her Instagram. Tori Kelly, Rachel Platten, and The Voice alums Audra McLaughlin and Jacquie Lee also performed.
Fans Continue to Honor Christina’s Memory and Pay Their Respects
Christina’s massive fanbase was absolutely devastated when her life was taken. Still, five years later it’s hard to believe that she is really gone. On the anniversary of her death this year, they gathered outside of the Plaza Live Theater to pay their respects with balloons and candles.
“It’s been five years since Christina Grimmie passed away. I’m so grateful her music and covers have impacted my life in such a positive way. We miss you so much and your legacy will always inspire me and many others. We love you,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Other’s flooded social media and YouTube with video tributes to the singer who was just 22 years old at the time of her death. Her supporters will never let her legacy, and the career she built when she first started her YouTube channel in 2009, be forgotten.
