My heart is absolutely broken. I miss you Christina pic.twitter.com/KWGwZZlj4t
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) June 11, 2016
Long before Christina Grimmie ever appeared on The Voice, Selena Gomez had taken the YouTube sensation under her wing and hired her to open for her on tour in 2011. Following the tragic news of Grimmie's murder on Friday night in Orlando, FL, Gomez paid tribute to her friend.
"When she was 14, we met her and my parents and I signed her," Gomez told the audience at her Revival World Tour in Miami, according to People. In a video, Gomez's voice cracks as she says, "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."
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At another point in the show, another fan's video captured Gomez apparently overcome with emotion. She stops singing "Nobody" and lets the backing track take over as she gathers herself.
According to the Associated Press, police say 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl of St. Petersburg, FL, shot Grimmie on Friday night before killing himself.