Last week, the world was rocked with news of the bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, U.K. that left 22 dead and over 50 injured. On Friday, the singer tweeted a statement about the incident, and her brother Frankie followed with one of his own. On Monday, in honor of Memorial Day, her mother Joan also shared a message of love and hope dedicated to the victims of the event and those who helped out during the tragedy.
"This past week I have spent in reflective thought, prayer & deep sorrow," she wrote on Twitter. "I join my daughter in extending my help & services to all those affected by the diabolical act of terror which occurred in Manchester! My heart goes out to all the victims: Those who lost their lives, those injured, those recovering & all survivors of that night, along with the families & friends whose grief knows no bounds. I stand with you all in the face of evil & we stand together to never let it rule our lives! Thank you to all those who helped in any way that night in Manchester. I continually thank those who are & were in service protecting our freedoms every day all over the world! #MemorialDay"
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#MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/oUDmB7VD6x
— Joan Grande (@joangrande) May 29, 2017
These words echo the sentiments shared by Ariana in the wake of the news, which called for unity in the face of hate.
"We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it is not in our nature, which is why we shouldn't recoil," the singer wrote in a Tweet on Friday. "We will not quit or operate in fear. We won't let this divide us. We won't let hate win."
This event has united the entire musical community, with people like Katy Perry and Harry Styles calling for moments of silence during their respective performances.
"This week has been really hard," Perry said to her audience last Thursday. "It sucked. It was hard for you guys, I know that. It was hard for me because we all love music. We all listen to the same music. And you think about it and think, 'That's my friend, that's my sister, that's my cousin, that's my brother, that's the person that loves music.'"
"I went to my first show in the arena, and I've had some of the best experiences of my life playing in Manchester," Styles said at his own performance in Mexico. "We have a choice, every single day that we wake up, of what we can put into the world, and I ask you to please choose love every single day."
This tragedy is a reminder that, now more than ever, music is what brings us together.
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