A touching tribute. Charlie Puth mourned the loss of his friend Christina Grimmie with a heartfelt speech and performance during his concert in New York on Saturday, June 11, just one day after the ex-Voice finalist was shot and killed by a fan.
“I was reading the news last night and heard that my good friend Christina Grimmie was killed, and I want to dedicate this song to her tonight,” he told the audience. “I’ve been upset about this all day, mainly because I just never got to say what I wanted to say to her, and I feel like this song perfectly captures that.”
The 24-year-old singer then sang an emotional rendition of his 2015 hit “See You Again,” which was originally recorded as a tribute to the late Paul Walker with rapper Wiz Khalifa on the Furious 7 soundtrack.
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Puth also paid tribute to Grimmie on Twitter, writing, “When you die, your body dies, but your soul lives on forever, as will hers. Rest In Peace Christina Grimmie. A beautiful talent.”
As Us Weekly previously reported, Grimmie was killed by a deranged fan following a concert at the Plaza Live theater in Orlando on Friday, June 10. The 22-year-old songstress, who finished in third place on season 6 of The Voice, was signing autographs when a 27-year-old gunman named Kevin James Loibl walked over and shot her. He then fatally shot himself after being tackled by Grimmie’s brother, Marcus Grimmie.
Several celebrities honored the late singer on Saturday on social media and in concert. Grimmie’s close friend Selena Gomez briefly paused a performance during the Miami stop of her Revival World Tour as she broke down in tears while singing her song “Nobody.”
Gomez’s stepfather, Brian Teefey, first discovered the YouTube star when she was still in high school. He later worked as her manager. Teefey set up a GoFundMe page in Grimmie’s honor on Saturday. The page has already raised more than $88,000.
