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Selena Gomez’s Breakdown: Cancels Meet-And-Greet After Christina Grimmie’s Death

By Chanel Adams
Published on: 13:50 PST, Jun 12, 2016

Selena Gomez has been mourning after the shocking and untimely death of her good friend and fellow singer Christina Grimmie. Before her latest stop on her Revival tour, she took to social media to pay a loving tribute to her friend.

Christina Grimmie, 22, a former contestant on the sixth season of The Voice, was shot and killed on Friday, June 10, in Orlando, Florida during a meet-and-greet, following her performance. Grimmie was signing autographs for her fans when the gunman, Kevin Loibl, opened fired and killed the aspiring singer.

Gomez, 23, took to Twitter and Instagram to post a photo of her with her friend to express the sudden loss of her friend.

Selena later shared a link to the family’s GoFundMe page with a message from Christina’s stepfather, Brian Teefey, who also served as her manager. Selena and Christina first met after he discovered the singer on YouTube. The two singers ended up performing together on their “Stars Dance” and “We Own the Night” tours.

After forming a close friendship and partnership, Christina has practically become a close sister to Selena. Back in 2011, Christina spoke to Seventeen magazine fondly about Selena and her family.

“I’m so blessed that they’re in my life. They’re literally like a family – Selena has been so encouraging ever since we got hooked up. It’s crazy! It’s very much a fairy tale.”

Then, Selena honored her friend during her recent concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. She broke down in tears on Saturday, June 11, as she gave a touching tribute to the singer. The pop star lost control of her emotions when she performed the Revival track “Nobody,” and then mouthed the words “I’m sorry” to her large crowd of supportive fans. Selena tried to hold her composure as she talked about the kind and talented singer that she’s known since they were both teenagers.

“When she was 14, we met her and my parents and I signed her. 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.”

Gomez sat at the piano and performed a cover of Hillsong Worship’s song “Transfiguration” as a tribute to Grimmie. Watch Gomez’s touching tribute to her beloved friend in the videos below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m82Jyl6Eao8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpGUjj5w4SU

The singer also promised her fans that she will donate the proceeds of ticket sales to the Alliance for Lupus Research. Back in October 2015, Selena revealed to Billboard that she was diagnosed with the disease while rumors swirled that she was in rehab for a drug and alcohol addiction.

“I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke. I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a**holes.’ But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

Prior to the concert, Gomez reportedly canceled her meet-and-greet with her fans in light of Grimmie’s death, according to E! News. Gomez was able to perform her Miami show like the professional that she is, but it was clear that it was too difficult for her to meet with her fans after the show. It’s also obvious that Gomez decided to put her meet-and-greets on hold due to recent security concerns. As much as Gomez loves her dedicated fans, her mental and emotional state were too affected by Grimmie’s death.

A candlelight vigil honoring Grimmie’s memory will be held in her hometown of Evesham Township on Monday night, June 13.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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