The Voice star was on the brink of huge success when she was murdered by an obsessed fan. Photo / Getty Images
The Voice star was on the brink of huge success when she was murdered by an obsessed fan. Photo / Getty Images
The glamorous world of entertainment isn't without its tragedies. We revisit one of the most bizarre murders in recent years of a young singer murdered by an obsessed fan.
YouTube star Christina Grimmie was on the brink of success when her life was cruelly cut short.
In 2016 the 22-year-old pop star was shot and killed by fan Kevin Loibl while signing autographs after a concert in Orlando.
Her tragic death made international headlines and it was uncovered that the man who killed her had gotten hairplugs, had laser eye surgery and turned vegan - convinced that the pair would marry.
Loibl had tried to transform himself into a pretty boy in a delusional bid to win over the songbird, his Best Buy Geek Squad colleagues told TMZ.
The website reported that he underwent the hair transplant and laser eye surgery as well as drastically changing his diet to lose weight.
Loibl had reportedly vowed to co-workers - who would tease him about his infatuation with the singer - that he'd someday marry Grimmie, who rose to fame first on YouTube, and then in the sixth season of singing talent show, The Voice.
And he told them he went to one of her concerts in March, and hinted that he met her there. He also claimed that he played online games with Grimmie, which a source told TMZ was untrue.
The killer apparently became enraged when he was shown pictures of Grimmie with producer, Stephen Rezza, possibly her boyfriend TMZ reported.
His obsession turned unspeakably violent when he shot and killed the talented 22-year-old singer after a concert.
He then fatally shot himself after he was tackled by Grimmie's brother, Mark.
Grimmie's Voice coach Adam Levine then offered to pay for her funeral, while fellow judges Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Blake Shelton took to Twitter to share their condolences.
Behati and I are absolutely devastated and heartbroken by Christina Grimmie’s death. Our hearts go out to her family pic.twitter.com/y4OMkm0uXu
Later that month Justin Bieber broke down in tears on stage during a show in Canada, while performing a song dedicated to the late singer.
Performing his ballad Purpose, Bieber sang, "Thinking my journey's come to an end.
"Sending out a farewell to my friends, forever peace ... I'm more than grateful for the time we spent, my spirit's at ease."
Bieber then fought back tears, saying, "Grimmie, can you hear me?"
Bieber reportedly met Grimmie, who finished third on the sixth season of The Voice in the US, through his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez, whose stepfather served as the late singer's manager.
Gomez also paid tribute to Grimmie onstage during a Miami tour stop, wiping away tears as she performed a cover of Hillsong song Transfiguration in her late friend's honour (Grimmie supported Gomez on her We Own the Night tour in 2011).
"When she was 14, we met her and my parents and I signed her," Gomez said, her voice cracking with emotion.
"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."
Gomez went on to cancel her own meet and greets with fans over fears for her safety.
