News

‘The Voice’ star shot dead after concert

by Elliot Smilowitz - 06/11/16 7:01 AM ET

Singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot while signing autographs after a performance Friday night in Orlando, Fla.

Grimmie, who was 22 years old, competed on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2014.

{mosads}Her publicist wrote in an email early Saturday that “we can confirm that Christina has passed and went home to be with the Lord,” according to the Associated Press.

Grimmie was signing autographs for fans at a merchandise table after performing when a gunman opened fire, the AP reported.

Her brother immediately tackled the gunman, who shot and killed himself.

“Her brother is a hero for saving and stopping him from not hurting anyone else,” a police spokesman said, according to CNN.

Grimmie was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead hours later.

About 60 to 100 people attended the concert, but only a handful were there when the gunman opened fire, police said.

Grimmie first drew to prominence on YouTube, where she had more than 3,000,000 subscribers.

The official accounts of “The Voice” and Adam Levine, the singer who coached Grimmie on the show, shared their prayers for Grimmie and her family on social media early Saturday.

We are heartbroken. @TheRealGrimmie is a loved member of our family. Our thoughts are with her and her family. #PrayForChristina

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) June 11, 2016

There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice. Our hearts go out to the friends, fans and family of @TheRealGrimmie.

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) June 11, 2016

I'm sad, shocked and confused. We love you so much Grimmie. We are all praying hard that you can pull through this…this just isn't fair.

A photo posted by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:35pm PDT