Two years ago, Adam Levine personally coached singing contestant Christina Grimmie on NBC talent show The Voice. Now, the Maroon 5 frontman is stepping up to pay for the slain musician’s funeral cost, and ensuring her mother is there to mourn with the family.
Grimmie, 22, was shot and killed late Friday night while meeting with fans after her performance at Orlando convert venue Plaza Live.
According to Pop Crush, Grimmie’s brother, Marcus, relayed the news that Levine has offered to cover the singer’s funeral expenses. “I found out this morning, that Adam Levine personally called my mother and said he will pay for the funeral and her plane flight, and I was blown away,” Marcus wrote on Facebook.
There will be a candlelit vigil held for Grimmie tonight (June 13) in her hometown of Marlton, New Jersey.
Levine was Grimmie’s mentor on the sixth season of The Voice, where she made to the round of the show’s final three contestants. On Saturday, Levine released a statement to ET, which read: “Christina was a natural. A gifted talent that comes along so rarely. She was taken from us too soon. This is yet another senseless act of extreme violence. I am left stunned and confused how these things can conceivably continue to happen in our world.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Grimmie’s manager has raised more than $125,000 in 48 hours. “Words cannot express… literally I have no words,” ” Marcus Grimmie wrote on Facebook. “I promise both my parents and I will read every one of these personalized messages. I’m so blown away by everything right now. But all I can say is thank you. And Christina will be missed and never ever forgotten.”
Marcus Grimmie has also asked that people sign a change.org petition to have his sister immortalized in her favorite video game. “Please do not feel the need to donate anything at all,” he adds. “Please. Just leave a kind word, message or picture in the comments or message me and sign this change.org petition to help Christina possible be remembered in the next Legend of Zelda game, her favorite game of all time.”
Behati and I are absolutely devastated and heartbroken by Christina Grimmie’s death. Our hearts go out to her family pic.twitter.com/y4OMkm0uXu
— Adam Levine (@adamlevine) June 11, 2016