It has been nearly 10 years since an obsessed fan murdered YouTube star and singer Christina Grimmie. As you can imagine, the anniversary of her death is difficult for her loved ones. No one would blame her family and friends if they chose to stay out of the public eye and grieve in peace. However, they are taking the opportunity to mark the painful day by honoring her legacy and giving back.
For those unfamiliar with what happened, Christina was shot and killed by 27-year-old Kevin Loibl while signing autographs following a performance at the Plaza Live theater in Orlando, Florida, on June 10, 2016. Loibl had an unhealthy infatuation with the musician, to the point where he’d play her videos while working on customers’ computers at BestBuy, his former coworker Arthur Barnes told Us Weekly on Thursday. He even underwent a drastic physical transformation before Christina’s death to look more attractive to her. Barnes said:
“He got hair plugs and his teeth whitened, but nobody knew why until they put it together.”
Then Loibl bought two handguns in May and early June before traveling more than 100 miles from St. Petersburg to her show in Orlando. He somehow managed to sneak in the weapons, something that still boggles the mind of Danielle Hendrix, who had been there the day of the horrific shooting:
“Security was incredibly lacking. What do you mean I was forced to toss a granola bar at the door while this guy somehow entered the venue with weapons and ammo?”
When Loibl approached Christina at the signing, she opened her arms to hug him. However, he pulled out a gun, shooting her once in the head and three times in the torso. Loibl was tackled to the ground by Christina’s older brother, Marcus Grimmie, and then shot himself in the head and died at the scene of the crime. Sadly, the singer didn’t make it. She was only 22 years old.
No one knows or wants to think about what would’ve happened if her sibling hadn’t taken the gunman down. It could’ve been an even bigger tragedy. But Marcus doesn’t want to be hailed as a hero. Speaking to Us Weekly, he said:
“I never agreed with it. I understand objectively what’s being said, but for me it’s like, ‘Well, I didn’t save her,’ so it’s hard to feel that way.”
For him, the real heroic work started when the family created the Christina Grimmie Foundation, which aims to help victims of gun violence:
“It was just me and two dead bodies in an empty room until the police came. I just felt so alone. To see people come together … I don’t feel so alone.”
The idea came around two days after Christina’s murder. On June 12, a 29-year-old gunman opened fire at the LGBTQ+ nightclub Pulse in Orlando, killing 49 people and injuring 58. In the wake of the tragedy, scammers horrifically created fraudulent fundraisers under the guise of helping the victims. Christina’s dad, Albert Grimmie, shared that “after Marcus read about the victims’ not receiving money, we stepped right into it.” Her brother added:
“The amount of love and compassion [we received] was really integral to our healing. We can help people so long as gun violence is an issue, and as long as we’re breathing, that’s what we want to be doing.”
And they really have received a lot of support from her followers over the years. Christina began her YouTube career at 15 years old, singing from her bedroom in New Jersey on a laptop webcam. During her career, The Voice alum gained incredibly loyal fans — millions of them. Marcus shared that his sister “was constantly bringing people together,” and she continues to this day.
Her followers began a yearly fundraiser for Christina’s birthday. According to Marcus, they’ve “raised over $50,000 in the last four years” alone! Incredible! He added:
“I’m grateful she has such a great community, which doesn’t hang on to the tragedy. They are celebrating her life and her impact, and it’s contagious.”
This is exactly what her family wants. Albert expressed they “want Christina to be remembered for the person and artist she was, not just the tragedy.” And that is why the Christina Grimmie Foundation is hosting the first-ever Grimmie Fest, a three-day benefit concert and fan meet-up between June 5 and June 7, to honor the performer. Marcus said:
“Instead of dreading the 10th, we’re adding this additional layer of hope. It’s exciting to celebrate the person she was.”
Albert continued:
“It’s opening doors for other people to be interested in her story, and that’s so wonderful. We want people to know this is more than just a tragedy. Christina was a pioneer of YouTube. She reached the world from her bedroom, where people wanted to be like her, and they cut their hair like her and tried to sing and play the keyboard like her. That’s an amazing thing for a father to watch happen.”
Of course, the family continues to grieve Christina. No matter what they do, the pain of losing her will be there. Albert expressed:
“The grief itself is like this black marble in a jar, and the grief is going to be the same, but the jar is going to expand. So my capacity to carry that grief has grown.”
The dad said he misses the Advice artist’s “excitement for life” and humor:
“I used to be able to make her laugh, even when she was mad or grumpy. I used to call her ‘Grumpina,’ and then she [would be] like, ‘Dad, I want to be grumpy right now.’ She was funny.”
Marcus also thinks of his sister constantly, adding:
“She always made people feel heard, and that’s something I try to do.”
Ultimately, her friends and family want everyone to remember Christina — not for the tragedy but for her voice and life. Danielle said:
“It might be kind of cringey to admit, but honestly, to this day, I still think of her whenever I see rays of sun filtering through clouds. She had a heart of gold. And she’ll never be forgotten on our watch.”
We can’t believe it has been almost 10 years since she passed away. She’s clearly missed so much. We’re sending a lot of love and support to the Grimmie family. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know.
To learn more about the impact of gun violence, visit https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence.
[Image via Judy Eddy/WENN, Marcus Grimmie/Instagram]