Selena Gomez couldn’t hold back her tears as she paid tribute to her late friend Christina Grimmie during the Miami stop of her Revival world tour on Saturday, June 11.
The “Good for You” singer, 23, stunned in a glittery, floor-length gown as she tried to croon “Nobody,” but ultimately got too overwhelmed to continue. In videos posted by fans, Gomez can be seen mouthing the words “I’m sorry” as she tries to keep her composure.
At another point in the evening, Gomez dedicated a meaningful song to Grimmie, 22, who was shot and killed during a fan meet-and-greet in Orlando on Friday night.
“When she was 14, we met her and my parents and I signed her,” Gomez explained as she sat down at a piano. “One thing about Christina and her family is that she holds her faith so closely to her. And I think it’s not about a religion and it’s not about anything or good deeds. It’s just that she had faith, and I don’t really understand how this really happened, but I would like to dedicate this next song to her.”
The pop star then sat down to sing a moving rendition of Hillsong’s “Transfiguration.”
Earlier in the day, the “Hands to Myself” singer took to Twitter to express her sorrow over Grimmie’s untimely death.
“My heart is absolutely broken,” she captioned a throwback photo of the pair goofing off. “I miss you Christina.”
Gomez’s stepfather, Brian Teefey, first discovered the Voice contestant when she was still in high school. He would later become her manager.
On Saturday, Teefey set up a GoFundMe page in Grimmie’s honor and shared a few poignant thoughts.
“Words cannot begin to describe the pain I am feeling. I learned this business through the eyes of a father, and Christina was like a second daughter to me. All I wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business,” he wrote. “I never could have imagined this horrific event being one of the pitfalls needing to be avoided.”
Grimmie was hospitalized in critical condition late Friday night after a 27-year-old man, Kevin James Loibl, walked up to her at the Plaza Live theater with two handguns, ammunition and a large hunting knife and shot her several times. She died several hours later.
