AN AMERICAN SINGER who starred in The Voice singing show has been shot dead at a concert in Florida, police said.
Christina Grimmie, 22, was shot in Orlando yesterday by an unidentified gunman who then turned the gun on himself.
“With deep regret, we have confirmed Christina Grimmie, @TheRealGrimmie, has died from her injuries,” the Orlando Police Department said on its Twitter account.
Grimmie had performed with the group Before You Exit at Orlando’s Plaza Live and stayed after to sign autographs.
A man, who was armed with two guns, walked toward her and shot her, police said.
“Christina’s brother immediately tackled the suspect, who shot and killed himself,” the police said.
Grimmie was rushed to the Orlando Regional Medical Centre.
The motive of the gunman, who was not identified, was unclear.
Singer Justin Timberlake was among those who took to Twitter to pay tribute to the singer.
“We don’t know if he was just a crazy fan that followed her on Twitter or on social media. We really don’t know,” police spokeswoman Wanda Miglio said at a news conference.
“This is a very tragic event. This should have been something that was fun and exciting, and for something like this to happen is just a tragedy.”
She said about 60 to 100 people attended the concert, but only a handful were left when the shooting occurred.
“Her brother is a hero for saving and stopping him from not hurting anyone else,” Miglio said.
Grimmie, who competed in the sixth season of “The Voice” in 2014, released her debut EP “Find Me” in 2011.
“We are heartbroken,” the NBC talent show said on its Twitter account after the shooting, calling the young singer “a loved member of our family.”
“There are no words. We lost a beautiful soul with an amazing voice,” it said.
Adam Levine, the singer whose team she performed with on the program, posted a picture of himself with her on his Instagram account after the incident.
“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,” he wrote.
A New Jersey native, Grimmie first gained public attention with moving covers of hit songs in videos viewed by millions on YouTube.
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